This week we bring you Part Deux of our exploration into our executive team, and of the co-founders of HerCampus at Queen’s! This week’s Campus Celebrity is a truly exceptional lady, already involved in her campus through HerCampus and various Commerce clubs! Peggy Men is a first-year Commerce student, who always has a smile and always has a task to do. She graciously made some time for me to ask her some questions about starting HerCampus, life, and the future!
Name: Peggy Men
Title: HerCampus Correspondent
Year: 1st
Program: Commerce
Q: How did you each get interested in HerCampus, and blogging?
A: I initially saw it in Seventeen Magazine under a college resource article, and I was just really interested in this site. It had all these national articles and then it had articles that were specific to each college around the U.S. and Canada. I was looking for opportunities to get involved, and at the time they had this high school ambassador program, which was a group of 100 girls from around the world, mostly from the U.S., some from Canada, and there was also a girl from Singapore which was really cool! Every week we had an assignment that pertained to Her Campus, one week we would write a proposal about a new item to be featured in the HerCampus site. Through that I got to know more about HerCampus, and I just was a reader of HerCampus and it just kind of went from there. In terms of blogging, I guess I was always good with words and expressing my opinion. At first I started blogging mostly my poetry and short stories and that kind of transitioned into me blogging more about my opinions, thoughts on celebrities, my daily life, etc. It’s been hard keeping up with blogging with school but I still try to do it when I can!
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about how the two of you met and what inspired you to start a HerCampus at Queen’s?
A: Me and Jennifer’s story about meeting is a little funny! I’m actually not sure who added who on Facebook, but we were both on the Queen’s Commerce Facebook page, and the “Because I’m a Girl” Speakers Group (a non-profit that aims to empower girls) as well as the Shad Valley alumni page! Seeing our common interests, we began talking, and at that time I was really considering bringing HerCampus to Queen’s but I was thinking that it was a really big responsibility to take on myself and I was trying to find someone else in Queen’s Commerce to start it with! I asked her, quite randomly, but she was really on board with it and it went from there!
Q: What future careers are you interested in?
A: I’m still trying to keep my options open because I’m in first year, but I am thinking either market or accounting. For accounting, it’s really analytical and I love solving problems and working with numbers! For marketing, it’s really interesting because there is a strong storytelling aspect when targeting customers – it’s not just about business but about people. You also get to show your creative skills which I love! So, we’ll see where it goes from here!
Q: Any advice for starting clubs on campus or new initiatives?
A: My biggest pieces of advice are: be patient and plan ahead! I remember Jennifer and I began July/August and the process took a good two and a half months because we had to apply to the AMS, HerCampus and go through a series of interviews. It’s a long process to set it up, but if you’re passionate about it, be patient and it will happen. Once it is started up, planning is essential! Jennifer and I were getting together for the Clubs Fair and we just the approval the night before – it was quite hectic! Be aware of your goals and plan to meet those goals as timely a manner as possible! Oh! Keep your documents in a computer in an organized manner that you’re familiar with.
Q: Favourite thing to do on campus or in Kingston?
A: Hanging out in Goodes Commons – near Starbucks and hanging out with your friends before class is really nice!
Q: Favourite part of running HerCampus?
A: The network of girls that I got to know! There are a lot of Commerce girls and it was really nice to get to know them better, but there were also a few ArtSci’s and other faculties! It’s nice to have that support every week and we always have a good time at the meetings – everyone gets along and has fun! It’s a really nice break from both school and res life and I look forward to working with everyone during the year!