by Jacqui Arnst
As college students, we struggle daily with people telling us what we should be, how we should dress, the kind of experience we should have, how our resumes should look and what things we should know. Do you want someone to listen to what you have to say? It would be nice to have people reading and appreciating our opinions for once. But unless you have a very successful blog, or master the art of freelance writing, there is a slim chance that your writing will be published on a large scale. It is because of this very issue that Harvard undergrads, Stephanie Kaplan ‘10, Windsor Hanger ‘10, and Annie Wang ’11, founded Her Campus as an online publication for college women in 2009.
What is Her Campus?
Her Campus is online magazine for college women that allow students to start a branch of the magazine at their college. It is a completely student run organization. Part of the company’s mission statement expresses their purpose to, “serve as a career launching point for the nation’s top college journalists by providing them with a national platform for the publication of their work.”
Who is involved in this organization?
We are! Students are the backbone of Her Campus. They can engage in internships with Her Campus and actually write all of the articles on the Her Campus websites. Here at UCF, Sara Newton, UCF’s Her Campus Founder & Editor in Chief, tells us, “I currently have 50 students on staff, six of which make up the Executive Board.” It is incredible that so many college women are getting the opportunity for their voice to be heard.
When did Her Campus start at UCF?
Newton founded the UCF chapter of Her Campus in Spring of 2011 and has had amazing success so far. In just 3 short months, Her Campus at UCF was awarded Top Ten most successful branches. Newton credits this amazing accomplishment to her team, saying, “any member who was on staff during those first three months, and even now, are who deserves the credit for that accomplishment.”
How can an internship with Her Campus help you?
It is no secret that being published on a national platform is a huge feat that many of us would aspire to accomplish. We want people to hear our voice, right? While each internship may function as a resume booster, the Her Campus website further boasts that, “Since joining the Her Campus Team, our writers have been offered jobs and internships with Glamour, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Seventeen, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, People magazine, W magazine, Teen Vogue, InStyle, Lucky, O magazine, MTV, The Washington Post, and Women’s Wear Daily, among others.” This impressive list of companies is certainly a valid reason to join their team, but one reason is still more important – learning!
Her Campus gives students real life learning experiences! Newton shares some of her learning lessons with us, admitting, “I have learned a lot! Hard work does pay off! Being a part of something bigger than you is truly amazing. I’ve also learned how to be a good leader, a team player, and a liaison between Her Campus nationals. I learned that I cannot get everything done. I would not be where I am today without the amazing team that I have.” The experience from an opportunity like this is priceless.
Her Campus hosts a few events on campus each semester. Come out to some of them and meet the team. Newton encourages students to get involved in this rapidly growing organization, explaining, “Here at UCF, any student (undergraduate or graduate) can become a part of one of our five teams (with meeting requirements set in the Constitution): Exec, Editorial, PR/Events, Social Media and Sorority Liaison. I feel that anyone who is passionate about the Her Campus brand would make for a positive asset to the team.” The Her Campus Team meets once a week. Email Sara Newton at saranewton@hercampus.com to learn more about you can get involved.
