Ah, Spotlight Weekend; I remember mine like it was just last week.
Spotlight is an opportunity for prospective freshmen to know what it’s like to be a student at the University of La Verne. Every year, students are encouraged to stay on campus Friday night until Saturday night, having the opportunity to stay with a current student and shadow them. I never had the opportunity to become a Spotlight Leader, but I’ve always wanted to be a mentor to a prospective freshman! Getting to show my school around, the place that helped me develop my knowledge and skills in the major that I love–this allows me to help make a difference in someone’s life and helping them choose their path.
This year, I played two different roles in Spotlight Weekend: Her Campus Recruiter and Communications Major Panelist.
On Saturday morning, HCULV member Jeanette and I set up the recruitment booth for the club fair. Participants and their families started coming at 12:30, and the program began!
I was feeling very confident in our Fall 2019 HC team, because there were a lot of girls that came up to ask questions about Her Campus! The Innisfree face masks we got in our Spring Break Survival Kits were a great way to attract others at first, but HCULV’s mission to give writers a platform is what made them sign their names.
After a few hours, I prepared for the Communications Major panel. Prospective students get divided into groups based on what they think they want to major in. In the Communications major, there were about 20 people, and that’s a pretty good number to have for our major!
The panel talked about their unique experiences at La Verne, and how the school’s programs benefitted us to where we were today. We all came from different emphases of communications, from broadcast to journalism to public relations. As one of the two public relations majors, I talked about how the classes let me actually put theory to practice. I got to experience working with a client, creating actual campaigns, and dealing with social media management as well. The resources our department also offered were super important, as it helped me gain some important opportunities, like networking and connecting with possible employers and colleagues.
The informational panel ended with the moderator and department chair Elizabeth Zwerling showing the group a few student films, the student-run social media account, and the school newspaper and magazine.
It was a great experience from the mentor side of my last Spotlight Weekend at La Verne! I hope I’ve imparted some important knowledge onto these prospective students, and that they confirm their decision to come to the University of La Verne in the fall!