As the former Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus, ADPi sorority member, aspiring teacher, and active philanthropy member on Wake Forest’s campus, Haleigh Monyek does it all. If you have spent any time around her, you would know that her vibrant energy and upbeat attitude is both contagious and inspiring. With her Midwestern charm and ever-present confidence, Haleigh is certainly a force to be reckoned with. With graduation right around the corner, I sat down with Haleigh, who was my former editor and mentor, to discuss her contributions to Her Campus and reflections of her time at Wake Forest.
HC: Tell me a little bit about how you first got involved with HC:
Haleigh: I got involved when I was a junior in High school. I loved reading all the content, especially in the high school section. I then found out that they had this “High School Ambassadors” program, where as a high schooler you learn how to do really valuable things, including how to write a resume, how to edit and write articles, and other important life skills.
I knew coming into college, I wanted to be a part of the Her Campus team. I remember sitting in the informational meeting in Carswell, amazed by how cool the Editor-in-Chief was at the time, and thinking to myself, “Wow, I really want to be the Edtior-in-Chief by the time I’m a senior.” That was my goal throughout college and I ended up being the EIC both junior and senior year.
HC: How did your time with HC impact your college career?
Haleigh: It’s been so cool to get to know so many different kinds of people. As an editor and EIC, you get this unique opportunity to get to know all of your writers through their writing. You get to know their passions through their articles that they write and through their writing style.
Overall, it’s been so fun getting to know all these women on campus, having the opportunity to have a leadership role, guiding other people the same age as you and learning how to assume an authoritative role through this student-run organization. I also learned a lot about the writing process and what it takes to run, brand and market a magazine publication. You learn a lot inside the classroom, but you really start to learn a lot outside the classroom too.
HC: Favorite article that you wrote?
Haleigh: When I wrote for “Freshman Problems” my freshman year, that was my baby. I loved writing for that blog so much, I wrote it anonymously too. It kinda felt a little gossip girly because all my friends would ask me, “Who do you think it is?” The last article I wrote for “Freshman Problems,” I literally started tearing up because it was a super reflective, but bittersweet article.
HC: How have you seen the organization change since your freshman year?
Haleigh: It’s changed tremendously, we have multiplied our number of members exponentially. We started the marketing and events exec program in addition to opening up the social media side, which has helped the magazine grow. The writing has changed too. The requirements for each section have become much more realized, which has encouraged people to actually write what they are passionate about. It’s really become a community. Also, thanks to last semesters efforts, we have finally been recognized by our Nationals as a pink level chapter, which is a huge honor.
HC: If you could go back in time and change one thing about your college experience, what would it be?
Haleigh: I wish I had gotten involved with Wake and Shake more, or overall being part of more philanthropic organizations. Other than that, no regrets. I honestly wouldn’t do anything differently, I feel like I have taken every opportunity that I could have. I feel very fulfilled.
HC: Thing you’ll miss most about wake?
Haleigh: Being around people my own age, especially because I will be teaching kids. On a more serious note, I still walk around campus and I am amazed by how beautiful this school is, and how lucky I am to be here. The excitement and charm of Wake never fades. Having my friends living across the street from me, all the social events-you can’t really do silly philanthropy things in the real world, that’s such a college thing.
HC: Thing you’ll miss the least?
Haleigh: Walking to get food….it feels like our dining hall is a million miles away from my dorm.
HC: Any advice to the underclassmen or current HC staff members?
Haleigh: For HC staff, I would say that everything needs to be interconnected. Writing should be about Wake Forest/Wake centered topics, and the events should be things that students here want to go to. The social media should be reflective of the Wake experience, and promoting of the events and articles on the site. It’s definitely gotten better, so I would say just keep up the work and stay on the right track.
For underclassmen, my advice is to get out of the Wake bubble, explore places around the campus. Get involved, meet people, drive around and get lost and see where you get off. Go to Asheville or go visit the old Wake Forest campus, it’s like a mini version of Wake, and I think every student needs to see it. Go to Charlotte for the weekend, take a road trip to DC, go hiking nearby, or go to the beach.
On behalf of the Her Campus staff and exec, we thank you for all of your time and hard work. We’ll miss you!
All photos courtesy of Haleigh Monyek.