At Her Campus, we try to give acknowledgement to our busy and influential peers on UIC’s campus through Campus Profiles. But, we often forget to recognize our own team, who is not only involved with HC but also important to other organizations.
This week I had the pleasure of highlighting our very own Editor-in-Chief and President, Erin Walker! She’s discussed other organizations she is involved in, how she manages a busy load, and what it’s like to hold such a high position in our chapter.
HC: What year are you?
Sophmore
HC: What is your major?
Communication with a minor in Moving Image Arts
HC: Where are you from?
Holland, Michigan
HC: What are you involved with on campus?
Besides Her Campus, I’m also involved in Peer Health Exchange, my ministry group – Cornerstone UIC, the LAS Undergraduate Research Initiative, and I work at the Writing Center.
HC: How has your involvement on campus shaped your college experience?
It’s definitely helped me hone in on the things that I love to do and the things that I don’t super love to do. It’s also helped me develop much stronger leadership skills, and I’ve learned that there are certain things that I’m not very good at that I need to ask for help on. A lot of being a good leader is figuring out what strengths the people you lead have and passing tasks that match those strengths off to them.
HC: What would you recommend to others looking to get involved?
Don’t be turned off by anything that you think isn’t your style. When I went to my very first Her Campus meeting at the beginning of last year, I honestly didn’t think it was “my thing”, and now I run it. With so many options at UIC for getting involved, it’s really not hard to find things that match your interests, especially if you reach out to groups you might not have considered at first.
HC: What is your favorite part about being Editor-In-Chief and President of HC?
Probably just being able to see how much it’s grown and thrived over the past year or so. I was sort of wary about taking on such a big leadership role this semester, but we’ve been doing really well so far, and I’m really proud of each of our members. I’ve been able to rely on people to use their gifts and skills within the group, and it’s really been paying off.
HC: How do you manage such a busy load?
Prayers and a giant planner. A little sheer determination doesn’t hurt, either.
HC: Any advice for managing time and stress?
Get a big planner. It can be overwhelming to just think about everything that you have to do, but sometimes when you write everything down you realize that you have a lot more time than you originally thought. Also, definitely schedule time for yourself and defend that time. Even if it’s one or two hours a day, taking the time to do whatever it is that you need to do for you is so vital to your well-being. And drink lots and lots of water. More than you think you need to.
HC: What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?I love reading or watching The Office and The West Wing or putting on a movie or hanging out with my friends from church and my roommates. I realize that not all of those things can be my favorite thing, so I’d say that my most favorite thing is probably crocheting while listening to sermon podcasts. Because I’m 87 years old.