Name: Alena Tikhomirova
Program and Year: International Studies and Modern Languages – 3rd year
Hometown: Vaughan, Ontario
Position: Collegiette Fashion and Beauty Editor
Her Campus uOttawa: Why did you choose your program? Why uOttawa?
Alena Tikhomirova: Initially, the word “international” attracted me. After that, it was easy zoning in on a program that most interested me. I have always loved languages, so this part was easy, but the the nice mix of courses in my program that explored a little bit of everything, as well as the focus on intercultural relations, really made an eager to-be-more-worldly, but also intensely indecisive highschool me happy. uOttawa was always my first choice because of this exact program that I attached myself to and I immediately loved how cozy this city could be while still providing a nice mix of busy city-life with calm suburban-vibes (coming from Toronto, this was definitely a nice surprise).
HCuO: Why did you decide to join Her Campus? How did you become an editor?
AT: As soon as I saw the application for Her Campus writers posted on Facebook, I was immediately intrigued. I love to write (even essays!), but this was not nearly enough to get me to apply. Getting myself to apply was one big ping-pong game in my mind. I would give myself a ton of reasons to apply, then countered them with reminders that sometimes I still need to recite ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ to spell. This was an intense inner battle that was the way of my world until I messaged an editor from Her Campus uOttawa, Gloria Charles-Pierre, who convinced me to apply. Becoming an editor was a similar journey. There was an application sent out to my team, and although I was just as apprehensive about applying, talking to Rebecca Visser, editor-in-chief of Her Campus uOttawa, again gave me enough confidence to apply to an opportunity that really interested me! I am still so thankful to them both for helping me take this step, as it truly has positively impacted and continues to positively impact me today.
HCuO: What makes writing for Her Campus so enjoyable? What is your favourite article that you have written?
AT: Writing for Her Campus is always so fun because of how much freedom you have in the pieces you write. You are able to write in your own style, in a way that really portrays your personality, and get creative in your work with endless possibilities of interesting topics! Using pictures and amusing gifs is always a perk, too!
As I am quite new in the world of Her Campus writers, I don’t have very many articles to choose from when picking a favourite; however, I must admit I do favour two articles in particular: The Struggles of Trying to Look Cute Through a Snowy Winter, and Eyelash Extensions 101. I had a ton of fun writing the first one in a very modern ‘subtitle and corresponding gif’ fashion, but the second article was the one I was most excited about writing so far. I loved being able to transform my beauty-related experiences into useful information for people.
HCuO: What is something readers might not know about you?
AT: I have the biggest sweet-tooth ever. I can eat sweets all day, every day, for every single meal and not get tired. Although maybe everyone knows this about me…
HCuO: What has been the most interesting thing that has happened to you this semester?
AT: I’m a part of a couple of organizations on campus, some new, some not-so-new to me, but it has been pretty interesting balancing all of them and constantly learning new things! I think this gives me a healthy dose of ‘interesting’ throughout the semester, instead of spikes of interesting between plateaus of ‘eh’ times. Apart from that, my family moved to a farm, gained new members in the form of a dog, cows, goats and chickens, so this has definitely been an incredibly exciting time for my family and I this semester.
HCuO: If a genie could grant you three wishes, what would they be and why?
AT: I am the most indecisive person ever; I can sit mulling over this question for decades and never get anywhere with the answer, so I’ll settle for this: I’d like to speak all the languages in the entire world, so that my constant talking and blabbering could be experienced in 6500+ languages. Wonderful. I would also ask for the ability to talk to/understand animals. This is pretty-self-explanatory. Animals rock, and this would truly be a blessing. Lastly, if I could be a cool wizard for the good of the world, that would be really awesome. Cool wizards are always better than uncool wizards (duh), and using magic to help the planet would be pretty radical.
HCuO: What fashion advice would you give to your younger self ?
AT: I can’t even lie about how scarring it is to think back on what I wore in elementary school. No bueno. Some days I’d come rocking a really cute dress, and the next, bell-bottom sweatpants. Neon-blue bell-bottom sweatpants (still comfy though). I’d tell myself not to be embarrassed about wearing what I like; your fashion choices are for you, just as everyone else dresses for themselves. There’s no harm in exploring different kinds of styles, and it helps shape your clothing preferences and styles later!
HCuO: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
AT: Although I have my goals, aspirations and expectations that I am working hard to achieve, I think it’s important to give oneself room for opportunity instead of mapping out a step-by-step instruction manual (advice I am currently working on taking). I hope that 10 years from now I am happy with the career I’ve worked on obtaining (hopefully somewhere abroad), happy with my surroundings and the people I have chosen to surround myself with, and continuously working on making my family, friends and loved-ones as happy as they can be. Apart from a rough general idea of a 10-year-from-now me, I like to give myself room to learn and grow – something that we often forget to do when we lay out a specific roadmap for ourselves. The best response that I can give is that 10 years from now I hope to be a better me and still improving, surrounded by my favourite people! Preferably with a minimum of 3 cats and 2 dogs. This would be ideal.
Sources: Pictures were provided by Alena Tikhomirova.