What I Learned Joining Her Campus UCF

When I was a sophomore in college, I already felt two steps behind. It was my second year of college, and I still hadn’t found my footing. I was going back and forth between majors, adjusting to college life away from home, and struggling to make new friends. My mom had encouraged me for some time to join a club, but UCF’s wide selection of student organizations felt more overwhelming than exciting.

With that being said, I still wanted to get involved, and my only basis for involving myself was my passion for writing. It was always my favorite subject in school, and it was the class where I got the best grades. Whenever I was asked who I was outside of school, I usually responded that I was a writer. In reality, my only experience with writing was what I was required to write in school and a few casual short stories along the way. My ideal club would give me the creative freedom to write what I wanted, but still provide me with applicable material to add to my portfolio.

I quickly turned to Google, and a simple search titled “UCF magazine” led me to join a club that forever altered my college experience and finally made me feel like I belonged somewhere. As I wrap up one year with Her Campus UCF, here’s what I’ve learned from the club that changed everything for me:

Friendship

At my first Her Campus UCF meeting, I was a nervous wreck. My social anxiety was at an all-time high, and being in a room full of bright, young women with lengthy resumes and even bigger dreams was intimidating. I sat down in the small dome-shaped classroom, near the back, where I could be easily hidden. I should’ve known that I wasn’t going to be able to hide that easily. After the chapter’s president explained the logistics, the next screen on her PowerPoint read one bone-chilling word: icebreaker. 

Reluctantly, I turned to see a girl with bright auburn hair and a warm demeanor sitting beside me. It took multiple self-issued reminders about what I wanted out of this experience to unbite my tongue and introduce myself. We talked about our summers, as per the icebreaker, and like ice cream on a hot summer day, I felt my panic slowly melt away. 

Despite a successful first meeting, the subsequent meetings were not a ball park. I had finally met someone, but I knew it would take time, consistency, and communication for them to become a friend. Meeting after meeting, we talked and connected. Eventually, I found the courage to ask if she wanted to hang out outside of chapter meetings. It was at the hangout that she introduced me to two other people that I now call my best friends.

As daunting as it was in the moment, I realize now that the icebreaker pushed me to come out of my shell. It gave me the momentum to keep putting myself out there and meet new people. I owe the icebreaker for being the bridge that connected me to some of the smartest, thoughtful, and most determined people I’ve ever met in my life. I owe Her Campus UCF for proving the benefits of being the first one to speak up, so that I could meet those people in the first place.

Discipline

Her Campus UCF runs a tight ship. Article pitches are due Monday, approved by Tuesday, and due Thursday at 11:59 p.m. That’s two and a half days from pitch approval to when it is due to write a 500 to 1,500-word piece that is credible, relevant, and, more likely than not, research-dense. As a full-time college student, this also takes into account classes, part-time jobs, and internships that also take up a considerable amount of time. At first, it seemed intimidating, and like it would be too much to handle, but as time went on, I slowly became better at managing my time.

Discipline is practically embedded in Her Campus’ curriculum. Her Campus UCF uses a point system where members are rewarded points based on their involvement in the club. For example, you can earn points by attending a Her Campus UCF event or reposting a Her Campus UCF post on Instagram. The point system sounds enticing when there are no strings attached; however, there are. To remain a member, you must garner at least 30 points by the end of the semester. 

In the beginning, racking up points was a walk in the park. The excitement of joining a new club makes you want to jump in headfirst and get involved in any way you can. The free time and lack of stress that come with the start of a new semester make it easy to do so at first. As the semester goes on, however, other academic and personal obligations can make it challenging to reach the 30-point mark.

Reaching the 30 points demanded extreme discipline. Her Campus UCF taught me the importance of showing up when something matters to you and fully committing yourself to everything you do. I didn’t just want to reach the 30-point mark because I was required to. I wanted to lead with intention and put forth work that deserved those points.

Since then, my desire to lead intentionally trickled into other areas of my academic career, where I needed to have the discipline to accomplish certain goals. Although it wasn’t easy, my genuine love and respect for the club drove me to achieve over 30 points each semester.

My Career

Though my time as a member has been filled with so many personal lessons, the professional experience this opportunity has given me has been equally fulfilling. 

Being a writer for Her Campus UCF has provided me with several transferable skills that I will take with me into my career. Before writing for Her Campus UCF, I struggled to find my voice as a writer. I was confident writing both informative and argumentative pieces, but felt like my writing was almost too pointed to those modes. In other words, I failed to have my own writing style that reads the same across different bodies of work. Now, I can write a news story and a pop culture piece with the same distinct voice, and still adapt to the mode requirements. 

Her Campus UCF also gave me a front-row viewing of how effective collaboration works in real time. Her Campus UCF is made up of many moving parts, including the editorial team, which has writers, editors, staff editors, chapter editors, and so on. Everybody reports to somebody, and the effort to get an article published is collective. During my time as a writer, I learned the importance of being a team player, an experience that will be highly valuable to me beyond college. 

It’s wild to know that my journey with Her Campus has surpassed a year. Over the course of the year, I became a better writer, a better colleague, and a better friend. I will forever be in debt to Her Campus UCF for shaping my college experience and the people responsible for making that happen.

If there’s an opportunity you think could be meant for you but are frightened by the possibility that it’s not, do it scared. Your future self with friends who care about you, discipline that shapes you, and a career you’re confident in might thank you. 

• academics
• career
• college
• friends
• friendship
• her campus
• life
• UCF
• writing