This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of being able to attend Her Conference – who every avid reader of Her Campus knows is the two day conference held in New York City where young, collegiate women learn about how to become successful in their future careers! After an eager flight from Florida to Manhattan, I had no idea what I was actually getting myself into. Sure, this would be an amazing experience and I would leave with a wealth of knowledge, but I would have never guessed just how rewarding it would turn out to be. For those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure of attending the Her Conference, I wanted to give you a look into what it was like to attend and how my personal involvement went!
Day One
8:30 – 9:30 A.M. I walked into the Convene Conference Center, located right in the middle of the Financial District, with my blazer on and a smile to match. As the elevator doors opened onto the second floor, I looked out into the sea of stylish and confident girls who filled the room. [How cool is it that so many people could have the same fashion sense as you]? I checked in, grabbed my name tag, and with a goodie bag in one hand and a coffee in the other, I decided it was time to head over to the breakfast bar. Thank goodness for the overwhelmingly vast variety of bagels because carb is my favorite food group and I was not disappointed.
9:30 – 10:30 A.M. Feeling stuffed from bagels and Greek yogurt, I made my way to the Forum where the first keynote speaker, Neha Ghandi, spoke. Neha is the Vice President of Editorial Strategy at Refinery29. She gave insight to all of the lessons she learned on her journey from People magazine, to Harpers Bizarre, and all the way to Refinery29. Her personal stories about the ultimate struggle of making it to the top gave me the reassurance that having setbacks doesn’t mean it is the end of the world – or your career. Oh, and she can totally rock a hairstyle with bangs.
10:30-10:45 A.M. Transition/Break (AKA: Mingling with other collegiates).
10:45 – 11:45 A.M. One of the hardest things to do was choose which session I wanted to attend during Panel Block A. I decided on Beyond the “Like”: Careers in Social Media. Considering I’m the Social Media Director for my own school’s HC chapter (and can’t do anything without tweeting about it) I figured I’d learn a lot! Hello hand cramp — I wrote down close to everything that the panel said. Who knew being in charge of a company’s social media also meant that you had to double as a statistics genius and track analytics?
11:45 – 12:00 P.M. Transition/Break (more mingling and possibly a quick trip to the bathroom).
12:00 – 1:00 P.M. Panel Block B, or as I like to refer to it The Business of Blogging, was calling my name! Four wonderful ladies, including the legendary College Prepster, sat in front of me and held nothing back while talking about their journeys as professional bloggers. Let me tell you, blogging as a business goes far beyond a few vent sessions or pictures of your latest trip across the country! Once a major company, like Kate Spade, relies on your blogging to help promote their brand, you are obligated to meet time deadlines and act professionally. This panel really put into perspective how I personally want to run and manage my own blog.
1:00 – 2:00 P.M. Goodbye Chipotle bowl and hello food baby!
2:00 – 2:45 P.M. I walked back into the Forum eager to find out who the afternoon keynote speaker would be. To my astonishment it was THE Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen Magazine, Michelle Tan.*Queue fan-girling* Yes, she is just as fabulous as you have imagined her to be, and yes she rocks the pixie haircut. I barely took notes on her advice because I was so engulfed by her speech. With the perfect personality mix of sweet and sassy, she was clearly the woman who every girl in the whole room dreamt of being one day. Getting to talk to her one-on-one was the icing on the cake. If there is one thing she said that I will always keep in the back of my mind, it is “You have to trust what got you here.”
2:45 – 3:00 P.M. A much needed coffee break.
3:00 – 3:45 P.M. Being someone who struggles with making resumes and portfolios, I chose to attend the Workshop: How to Create an Online Portfolio. With one last surge of energy from my almost all black coffee, I went right back into note-taking mode. Good thing, because I had a lot to learn. Online portfolios are becoming more of the norm with such a rise in technology. With examples to refer to, as well as tips and tricks for making the perfect online portfolio, I was excited to get started on making my own!
3:45 – 4:00 P.M. Taking pictures with Carly and Nessa from MTV’s Girl Code was definitely the highlight of this 15 minute break.
4:00 – 4:30 P.M. After the longest, yet most rewarding day ever, it was time for RAFFLE PRIZES! Shout-out to Her Campus Nationals for spoiling us with so many gifts. (It is safe to say I am still going through the bag full of goodies I received that morning).
(Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen Magazine, Michelle Tan)
Day two of the conference was just as rewarding. I met even more talented women who are successful in their careers and learned more than I ever thought imaginable. I can’t wait to attend Her Conference next year and continue to network with some of the most well-known names in the industry! Being right in the middle of New York City, surrounded by young, extraordinary women is an experience I will never forget.