After spending my first semester of college at home on Zoom, I decided that I should make the effort to join some clubs at Berkeley… even if they were online. At the time, school felt like a faraway, intangible thing, and I felt completely disconnected from Cal’s community. As I was perusing the many clubs offered, Her Campus caught my eye because of the organization’s emphasis on a female-based community. It seemed welcoming, and for someone who felt stuck in limbo, it seemed like a safe haven — somewhere to finally settle.
Once I joined the club, I found myself pleasantly surprised at every turn. I was nervous to join my first club in college, but my worries and fears were left unfounded. At the first general meeting, I entered the Zoom meeting, heart pounding and hands starting to break into a nervous sweat, only to find the execs and returning members having a passionate discussion about Gossip Girl. And that’s how I knew that everything was going to be OK.
Everyone is so genuinely welcoming and supportive, and I was able to assimilate into the club quickly and effortlessly. I enjoy writing for a female-based college community about my own experiences as a female college student, and in turn, I also love reading about other people’s eerily similar or intriguingly different stories. With online college, I felt immensely disconnected, but Her Campus helped me start to build connections through written words. In this casual and comfortable environment, I got my first taste of community at Berkeley.
As a Her Campus writer, we are encouraged to write about pretty much anything we want (within reason, of course). This room for creativity often sparks a lot of diverse and interesting content. I’m able to express myself freely and write about topics that I care about. Not to mention, reading other people’s articles exposes me to so many different ideas and perspectives.
For me, Her Campus was a lifeline during a lonely online semester. It’s truly a wonderful community and a safe space for expression, free of judgment and full of support. I mean it when I say there’s a place in Her Campus for anyone. Applications are now live and are due on 9/2 at 11:59 p.m. PT!