As a part of our 2023 Alumni Panel on March 15th, we would like to introduce all of our panel attendees prior to the event!
Rachel Neal was CC for the Fall 2021-Spring 2022 school year along with Lillian Sclafani and our current CC Kayla Maguire! With ties to both past and present HCTU members Rachel N.
Her Campus at Temple University: What position(s) did you hold within Her Campus Temple?
Rachel Neal: During my freshman year, I started out as a staff writer and got promoted to the Opinion Section Editor during my sophomore year. After that, I served as the Sponsorship Outreach Director, and ended my senior year being the Co-Campus Correspondent!
HCTU: First things first, what are your big three?
RN: Pisces Moon, Cancer Sun, and Gemini Rising!
HCTU: What was your major at Temple, and can you tell us your favorite memory on campus?
RN: My major at Temple was Communication Studies and my favorite memory on campus are all the days I spent on Beury with my friends!
HCTU: If there was one thing you could tell yourself while you were a staff writer, what would it be?
RN: To not be afraid to speak my mind and write what I’m passionate about! When I first joined HCTU, I thought I had to write about things that were super trendy to fit within the Her Campus brand at the time. Because of this, I produced articles that I wasn’t super proud of and felt weren’t completely authentic to me. If I could go back, I would encourage freshman year me to step outside of the box and write articles that were more aligned with my interests.
HCTU: After graduation what has been the most fulfilling moment for you?
My most fulfilling moment for me post-graduation has been moving into my first apartment. I commuted during my entire time at Temple, so I never had that experience of being able to be fully independent and have my own space. It was always a goal of mine to move out and I’m very glad that I was able to take that step and provide for myself – I absolutely love my little apartment!
HCTU: In what ways did your Her Campus experience help you with your professional development?
RN: Her Campus has helped me exponentially with my professional career in so many ways. Not only did it give me some amazing friends and mentors, but it strengthened my interpersonal skills and also helped my confidence to grow. More specifically, my role as a Co-Campus Correspondent taught me a lot about how to manage a group of people, edit and publish articles, speak in front of others, and represent an entire organization – all areas that have allowed me to thrive in my professional career!
HCTU: What was the most challenging thing you faced post-graduation?
RN: The most challenging thing I faced post-graduation was being laid off from my first full-time job. It came as a complete surprise and left me feeling very fearful of what was to come next. However, I know that this is unfortunately a very common situation that many people in the marketing and communications industry face. It’s very unpredictable and scary – but everything happens for a reason! I’ve come to terms with the fact that it happened and I’m looking forward to whichever opportunity comes my way next!
HCTU: What are your plans next?
My future plans are to continue searching for a new job and to keep working on myself! Being temporarily unemployed can really take a toll on your mental health, so I’ve been learning to balance my time between applying to new jobs with doing things that make me happy to destress. Networking and reconnecting with old friends can also help tremendously in both of these areas so I’ve been focusing on that as well. Overall, I’m staying positive and optimistic that everything will fall into place soon!
HCTU: Is there anything current HCTU members should know about you before the panel?
RN: I don’t have a job at the moment but I’ve been actively searching for one so I’d be happy to answer any questions about what it’s like applying to jobs and my tips/tricks for doing so :)
Join us in Temple University Annenberg Hall room 201 on March 15th at 5:30 pm to learn more about Rachel and all of our other panelists!