Dear Her Campus Reader,
Maybe you read Her Campus regularly, maybe you’re one of our Ohio University chapter members or maybe you already know me. Whatever your reason, thanks for clicking to read this letter.
I’m frankly writing to you in the midst of chaos. I am now just days away from my college graduation, and I’m juggling finals and moving out and enjoying my final moments here with my friends. And in these final moments, it’s like all I can think about are the “lasts.” I can’t stop them from popping into my mind, even during my ordinary daily routines.
It goes like this: Today is April 27, 2026. It’s last Monday before the month of May, it’s the last Monday that Her Campus at Ohio U will publish articles this spring semester. That means today is my official last day as president and editor-in-chief of our chapter.
That means today is the last day I can write for HCOU.
In this letter, I’m writing to our readers, our writers, and most importantly, I’m writing to students who are just like me four years ago when I started college. I want to acknowledge all that I will take with me as I prepare to leave this publication behind.
HCOU is Ohio University’s chapter of Her Campus, a national online magazine written by women, for women. During my time of involvement, we focused on connecting women writers, publishing creative work and growing our professional and writing skills.
When I joined HCOU in August 2023, it seemed like a perfect fit for me. I was a sophomore journalism student looking for experience from a student publication. Now, I can happily say mission accomplished, but also that writing for HCOU helped me remember my ‘love of the game’ while studying journalism in college. While my classes assigned me hard (or factual) news reports with tight deadlines, HCOU gave me a writing outlet with creative freedom and flexibility. I got to discuss my favorite topics in-depth, I got to remember why I want to become a writer.
My favorite article I wrote is about Lana Del Rey’s controversial Coachella billboard in 2024. Generally, I enjoyed writing about music and my college experiences.
In my junior year, I was selected to be our president and editor-in-chief. Since I stepped into those roles nearly two years ago, I’ve read every article written for HCOU. I’ve seen our writers pitch and cover quite the range of topics, from date parties to sustainability to faith.
A wonderful part of being in a women’s magazine is that we can connect over our identities as women; at meetings and social events, it felt natural to relate over our shared experiences. But as an editor, I read references that I didn’t get, reviews of shows I didn’t watch and reflections on experiences I couldn’t relate to. I loved bonding with these women, but even more, I loved how much I could learn from them. I was so impressed by our writers’ knowledge and storytelling skills.
I felt nervous to start these leadership roles, a strange mix of confident and awkward. I adopted a ‘fake it ’til you make it’ mindset to help ease my nerves early on. I remember waiting for the day that I felt comfortable with my responsibilities: publishing every article, leading every meeting and social event. The day never came, and I don’t think it ever would have come. I never really felt comfortable, but eventually, I felt prepared. I guess that’s what I learned about leadership; I find my strength in being prepared.
Having a leadership role does bring rewards. It’s credibility. It’s a reason to do work that you care about, which gives other people a reason to care about your work, too. I learned this in my very first semester as president, when another student journalist asked to interview me for a feature article about HCOU. It was my first time being the interviewee, not the interviewer. Our feature was published by The Post Athens with the headline, “Her Campus empowers creativity in women’s writing.” It was my reminder that this leadership work mattered.
To sum this all up, I’m so proud of what HCOU accomplished in my time as president, editor-in-chief and a writer. From publishing women’s voices to crafting at social events to raising $307 for our local Planned Parenthood, we truly operated as an organization by women, for women. I thank our writers and my fellow executives for their hard work, and I hope the drive within these women brings our chapter continuous growth and opportunities. Thank you, Her Campus!