On July 25 and 26, I had the pleasure of attending Her Conference in New York City. Between fan girl worthy keynote speakers and a Chipotle sponsored lunch, this year’s conference an amazing experience! For those of you weren’t able to attend the conference, here are the highlights that you missed.
1. The Morning Keynote. Neha Ghandi, the Vice President of Editorial Strategy at Refinery29, opened Her Conference as the morning keynote. Neha gave the Her Campus correspondents in attendance a chronological timeline of her career. She explained where she began, how she advanced in the communications field, and everything in between. She offered practical and fresh advice to women in communications, with overarching themes in positivity and failing forward. Neha did a fantastic job connecting with the audience and gave an honest and inspiring address. But her best piece of advice: “don’t be an a**hole.”
2. The opportunity to network. Networking was one of the most rewarding aspects of Her Conference. At the end of each panel session, correspondents had the opportunity to meet and converse with some incredible women in the communication industry. Even with the plethora of young women at the event, all of the panelists at Her Conference made an effort to connect with each of the attendees.
3. The Chipotle Lunch. This one speaks for itself. Chipotle, amongst other brands, sponsored the event by providing a full service burrito bar complete with chips and guacamole. Even better, Chipotle gave every correspondent a coupon for a free burrito.
3. The “Fan-Girl” Moment: Meeting Michelle Tan. One of the highlights of the event was meeting the new editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine, Michelle Tan. Michelle gave the afternoon keynote, but spent additional time meeting and talking to correspondents. Michelle was lovely and kind, and talking to her about my future plans was one of the most nerve-wracking, yet inspiring moments in my communication career.
5. The inspiration to become your best. On Monday, I returned to my marketing internship with a bit more pep in my step. Being surrounded by such incredible women was so inspiring, and I wish I could bottle up all of the positivity and motivation from Saturday’s conference. Her Conference 2015 proved that the best is yet to come for young women aspiring to have a career in the communication industry.
I’ll leave you with some wise words from Neha: “you can start anywhere.” Thank you, Her Campus, for an amazing weekend. I can’t wait to get started with my communication career.