Name: Carly Kinahan
Year: Junior
Major: Business Administration, Management
Hometown: Wyckoff, NJ
Carly is a goal-driven girl boss who constantly impresses me with her exceptional work ethic. Between balancing work, an internship, classes AND her role as social media director, Carly is one of the busiest people I know. In spite of all that’s on her plate, Carly always accomplishes everything that she sets out to do and thrives while doing it! To get a sense of what Carly is like, take a look at her beautifully curated Instagram. Sure, her feed is full of aesthetically pleasing photos but Carly’s role in social media management is so much more than that – her knowledge of analytics has been integral to our chapter’s success. In addition to serving as our social media director, Carly is also a member of the Her Campus Trendsetters and InfluenceHer Collective programs. Under her creative direction, I am confident that our chapter will enjoy many future partnerships and gain even more recognition across all of our social media platforms.
HCM: What drew you to Montclair State and how did you get involved in our Her Campus chapter?
CK: I never really had a “dream” school so, when I was choosing where I wanted to go I had absolutely no idea which direction I was heading towards. I was also planning to continue working throughout the semester and if I was close, I’d be able to go back home on the weekends and keep the same job. MSU just had everything I was looking for and they also have a great business school.
I saw Lauren (our president) posting about HC on her Instagram story and I was always so curious about what it was exactly and if there was any way I could get involved. I sent her a DM which we both still have and we went back and looked at it a few months ago and laughed. I was so nervous but she’s so sweet and told me what steps I had to take.
HCM: What aspect of your major excites you most, and how have you been working toward achieving a career in this field?
CK: The fact that there are so many possibilities out there career-wise is extremely exciting to me. There are multiple paths to take and I have the ability to be creative in this industry. A really big fear I had at the beginning of college was that I was going to hate my future job and be so miserable, but after having an internship this summer at an amazing company I no longer have that fear. Getting job experience in the real world has been so important to me. Although I don’t know exactly what I want to do, I have a much better idea after all of my work for Her Campus.
HCM: What’s something you wish you knew as a Freshman?
CK: I wish I knew how important it is to get involved on campus. This is really essential for MSU because so many students are commuters so if you’re not living in a dorm, it could be hard to make friends. I might be scary to put yourself out there but it can be so rewarding so take the chance.
HCM: Where do you aspire to be after graduation?
CK: Ideally, I will be working in the media industry in NYC. Whether it is writing, PR or social, I’m not sure but I’ll figure it out. Ever since I was younger I knew I wanted to work in the city so hopefully, if everything goes to plan, I’ll end up there. I’m just overall really excited to see what the future holds and become a part of the real world.
HCM: What’s your favorite Her Campus memory, and how has being a member of our chapter been a rewarding experience for you?
CK: There is never a dull moment with our chapter and we always make great memories but my favorite would have to be Her Conference. In June, I flew to LA by myself to attend. Even though I was all alone, I think that might be one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I was completely out of my comfort zone because I’ve never taken a solo trip before. I got to talk to some incredible influencers and entrepreneurs and they were all so inspiring.
Being a member of Her Campus has been the best thing that happened to me in my college career thus far. I’ve gotten the chance to meet so many smart and amazing women who work so hard. I know some of the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime and I’m so grateful for that.
HCM: When you’re not busy being a #HerCampusCollegiette, how do you enjoy your time off?
CK: This has been my craziest semester yet with work, clubs, class and an internship so, unfortunately, my free time is limited. But, when I’m off I like to spend as much time with my family and friends because we’re all so busy and it’s nice when we have a moment to spend quality time together. Being busy is good because sometimes I feel like I can’t sit still, but we all need to remember to take a breath and relax.
Carly adds so much value to our chapter and always encourages our media team members to put out the most engaging content. Her creativity and driven leadership style set the bar high for all of our social media platforms which have been so successful in helping our chapter earn recognition. She is truly an asset to our team because her business-minded perspective has inspired our e-board to pursue opportunities that will take our chapter to the next level. I will never forget the first time I actually got to know Carly. When we had both accepted our new e-board positions, we attended a meeting together where we were all asked about how our chapter could improve. Upon hearing this question, Carly instantly came up with suggestions to improve the social media team and had devised strategies on how to implement them. In this moment, I knew that Carly possessed serious ambition and that she would accomplish anything she set out to do. I’m eager to see where Carly’s guidance will take the social media team this year, and I can’t wait to continue to see her ideas come to fruition!