Writing for empowerment

SPU students bring new organization to campus for all women

Isabella Tranello, Staff Reporter

Tori McArthur brought HerCampus magazine, to SPU’s campus starting this fall. The magazine is specifically for college age women and covers a wide breath of topics. (Gabrialla Cockerell)

Clubs and organizations on college campuses exist to empower and create a safe space for various groups of students. One student at Seattle Pacific University decided a space for women to create freely is needed. 

Tori McArthur, a junior journalism major, has used her passion for writing and reporting to bring an organization like this to life on campus.

While McArthur did not create the organization herself, she was the one to bring it to SPU’s campus for everyone to enjoy; this organization is called Her Campus. This is an online magazine made for and written by women, especially women in college.

McArthur got into contact with Her Campus from the increased free time and boring days of the COVID-19 quarantine. 

“Over the summer, amidst COVID-19, I was really looking for a passion project to keep spirits up during online school. Her Campus allows students from campuses around the nation to apply to be a campus correspondent – so this summer I applied,” McArthur said through email. 

She is proud to be a correspondent for Her Campus and is excited to share their mission with fellow students. 

“The goal of Her Campus is to provide an online hub for womxn by making and providing content for entertainment and education regarding womxn at SPU or womxn in the global context. Her Campus SPU is not just a place for womxn to create content and bond over their love of Instagram, but a place for growth, empowerment, and acceptance,” McArthur said.

Her Campus magazine at SPU is a good place for students, women especially to feel empowered and accepted. It is open to any women on campus to join, especially those who would like magazine experience. 

“For womxn across campus looking for magazine style/content creating experience, Her Campus can provide a space where womxn can freely create and learn more about digital media in a hands-on learning environment,” McArthur said. 

If any student is planning to join Her Campus, there are many different topics they can write about to creatively express themselves and share their passion within the group. 

“Her Campus covers typically 8 different areas of interest: Career, Sex & Relationships, Style, Health, Life, Beauty, Entertainment, and News. All of these categories are not limited to SPU and the greater Seattle area, but can expand to a national and international audience,” McArthur said. 

Along with writing articles, there are also many different positions that are available for students to have as they work for Her Campus that can provide opportunities for leadership within the group. 

Junior international business major Kayla Nasralla is part of the staff at Her Campus and has a very important role in creating ways for people to get connected to their organization. 

My role on staff is the Director of Events and Community Relations. I am in charge of putting on events for Her Campus. With COVID, that has been pretty difficult so we are brainstorming ways in which to do a virtual event,” Nasralla said. 

Nasralla even offers some insight on what it is like to be a part of Her Campus for those who are thinking of joining the club and getting involved with writing stories. 

“We have weekly meetings to discuss the article lineup for the next launch, story ideas, new updates, graphics, and anything else. There is so much work that goes into producing our stories and getting them ready for our weekly launch,” Nasralla said. 

 Nasralla has enjoyed her time working for Her Campus so far and is glad to be a part of a staff who share similar interests and values.

“It’s been a wonderful experience working with so many passionate, creative, and talented women. We push and encourage each other to be the best version of ourselves and it’s so fun getting to make content with people who have a similar vision,” Nasralla said. 

Communications major Taylor Hiroyasu is the Junior Director of Social Media for Her Campus and gets to work alongside Patricia Sydenstricker, the Senior Director of Social Media while looking to her for leadership.

“We collaborate by planning what images we’re going to post to our Instagram page, creating story content that allows our followers to be engaged, showcasing the incredible articles our team has produced, and much more,” Hiroyasu said through email. 

Her Campus keeps her on her toes and engaged. 

“There are many times where team members take on multiple tasks. For example, this week I’m writing a story, creating an interactive game for the Instagram story, and will also be planning out images to post onto our feed,” Hiroyasu said. 

For those interested, the process to join is simple and engaging. 

“Any interested students can contact/follow the HER Campus SPU Instagram to stay up to date with the latest information. We host zoom meetings every Thursday at 7:30pm and are still welcoming new writers and content creators!” McArthur said. 

This organization is a place of companionship, hard work, and leadership where they strive to empower young women and create a sense of belonging for all. They write to ignite passion and community among those who read their articles. 

“Think of it as a group of best friends who talk and write about life, school, lifestyle trends, and anything in our hearts. This magazine should empower women. Women should feel heard, loved, and accepted here,” Hiroyasu said. 

You can follow Her Campus SPU on Instagram @hercampusspu. Published articles are available at hercampus.com/spu.