I had the opportunity to interview Leah de Roy, the SFU campus correspondent, to talk more about her role in Her Campus and how our students can get involved with this new initiative! On October 20th, 2015, Her Campus SFU was re-launched by Leah de Roy. Originally launched at Harvard University in 2009, Her Campus is a college initiative that promotes college journalism. Writing for a Her Campus local chapter became an opportunity for college students to develop their writing skills on an online platform and to get a sense of writing for a magazine. Since their launch in 2009, Her Campus has expanded to 260+ different campuses and in seven different countries. Some Her Campus alumni writers have been offered jobs and internships with leading fashion magazines such as InStyle, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, MTV and many more.

1) To start off, could you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Leah, a fourth year SFU student who is majoring in English and minoring in Print and Digital Publishing. 

2) Could you give a bit of introduction to Her Campus and Her Campus SFU? 

Her Campus is an online community for college women that was founded in 2009 by three Harvard University students. Essentially, it’s an online magazine that is based in Boston but has unique chapters at colleges and universities all over the world. Her Campus focuses on subjects like fashion, careers, academics, health, news, relationships, and just about anything else that is relevant to self-identified college women. As a chapter of Her Campus, Her Campus SFU also covers these topics, but is tailored towards SFU students. We aim to keep students updated about what’s happening around campus and entertain them between study sessions. We also provide women with valuable advice and resources and try to shed light on more serious topics. Overall, Her Campus SFU isn’t just a magazine, but an opportunity to initiate some important dialogue and help foster a sense of community on campus.

3) What inspired you to relaunch the SFU chapter? 

First and foremost, I love to write. For a long time I’ve planned to pursue a career in writing and editing, but I had no idea how I would gain experience in that.  Of course there’s the Peak—which, by the way, is an outstanding newspaper, and doesn’t receive nearly as much credit as it deserves—but I found that the articles I really wanted to write didn’t totally fit their kind of content. I grew up on magazines like CosmoGIRL! and Seventeen, and I still love magazines. I wanted to write articles like “Why you should journal” and “How to love yourself," and also weightier, politically-charged articles about voting and social justice issues. Her Campus is the perfect platform for both. It’s a rare opportunity for college students to get their voices heard and to create what they really want to create, so I hope to provide that for other aspiring writers. Also, I really love what the Women’s Centre is doing in terms of creating inclusive, intersectional spaces on campus, so I wanted to somehow contribute to that initiative in my own way.

4) What are some ways for students to get involved with the chapter?

There are tons of ways to get involved. For one, you can read our content, which is published on a weekly basis. We are always recruiting writers, public relations team members, event planners, photographers, and videographers (male and female!). If you don’t think they can contribute every week, we also take on guest writers as well. If you’re passionate about a certain cause, if you’re running a club or an event and you want some publicity, or if you just want to ramble about your favourite plum lipsticks for fall, come write for us. 

5) On a final note, what is your favourite aspect of being part of Her Campus? 

Besides the writing and editing part, I love the community. The women on my team and the women from Her Campus who I correspond with daily are strong, smart and passionate in their own unique ways, and I love to surround myself with people like that. Right now, we have a sister chapter at Boston College in Massachusetts who are supporting us as we build our chapter. It’s really cool to have those connections with women in other countries whom we otherwise never would’ve met. I am thrilled to introduce Her Campus to SFU because besides helping student journalists build their portfolios, it allows women at SFU to share their passions, interests and stories, and to really relate to each other. Women’s interests have been demeaned and trivialized since the beginning of time, and Her Campus SFU is saying, “What you have to say matters, whether it’s about climate change or Beyoncé’s new single.” It’s a very empowering notion, and I'm proud to be a part of a community that isn’t afraid to announce that. 

To learn more about Her Campus SFU or to read the current published articles, be sure to check out their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. In addition, you can also email Leah at sfu@hercampus.com if you are interested in writing for Her Campus or getting involved!