My Experience at Her Conference in New York

My experience at Her Conference hosted by Her Campus in. New York. 

In the fall of 2017, my first semester in college I was asked to join Her Campus. I had heard of the digital magazine written by college students before so I jumped at the opportunity to join my university’s chapter. At the end of fall semester/ beginning of Spring Semester, I was selected to be the president of the chapter. A month or so later I learned about Her Conference, the annual conference hosted by Her Campus in New York and I was determined to go. About two weeks ago I achieved that goal of mine and attended the conference. I learned a lot at the conference, met a ton of amazing people and had a ton of fun, so I thought I would share my experience attending the conference. 

The conference lasted for two days and took place on Saturday July 21 and Sunday July 22. The conference was open to pretty much anyone involved with Her Campus; members of Her Campus college chapters, Her Campus high school ambassadors, Her Campus alumni, Her Campus interns, Her Campus trendsetters, Her Campus influencers and anyone else involved with Her Campus. The conference focused on media, social media, journalism, marketing, fashion, public relations and so much more. 

On Saturday morning upon arriving at the conference, we checked in downstairs at the Convene Conference Center. Once we presented out photo ID’s we were guided upstairs where we would be given a gift bag full of goodies (including bonus gifts since I was a VIP attendee) and we would eat breakfast here. Breakfast was provided by the conference center and Cinabbon, whose iced coffee I must shoutout because even though I’m not much of coffee person I was obsessed. After breakfast we were then told to go upstairs to a higher floor of the conference center. We then had about forty-five minutes to explore the awesome stations the conference sponsors had set up. Jones New York was giving complimentary manicures, Ulta Beauty was doing complimentary hair and makeup, Almay was monogramming tote bags for free, Jones New York had set up a pop up shop, Her Campus had set up a pop up shop and KiiPix was letting us test out their new printers that could turn any iPhone picture into a polaroid picture.  

After exploring what seemed like a beauty/fashion lovers paradise we were guided into the main conference room where all the keynote speakers would be speaking throughout the weekend. After a quick welcome from the Her Campus co-founders it was time for the first keynote speaker of the day, and everything was a whirlwind from that point on. The first keynote speakers, and probably my favorite of the day were the Lady Gang. A group of women who host a podcast where they interview celebrities and discuss a plethora of topics. Each of the ladies was also very accomplished on their own, and they talked about the obstacles they faced in becoming who they are today, and gave us advice. 

After that the day continued quite rapidly, and I learned a ton of stuff from the several panels, workshops and keynote speakers. Some of the highlights of the day for me were the panel about blogging, where I learned a lot of tips and tricks that will help me in my blog journey. Another major highlight for me was the self-defense workshop. The workshop was quite small and very interactive. In the workshop attendees learned self-defense tactics and ways we could defend ourselves if we ever find ourselves in a dangerous situation. 

On Sunday morning we were welcomed back to Convene Conference center. The conference staffed greeted us and handed out even more free goodies. We ate breakfast like the day prior and were able to explore the many booths the sponsors had set up once more. 

Sunday was very much like Saturday after breakfast and exploring the sponsors booths, the day was hectic and followed by a ton of amazing keynotes, panels and workshops. As far as keynote speakers go Samantha Barry really stood out to me. She is the Editor In Chief at Glamour Magazine, she started off as a radio personality in Ireland and made her way to being EIC at Glamour. She gave us a ton of great advice and insight about her journey to the top. After she spoke I was able to meet her and she was kind enough to give me her assistant’s email address so I could personally interview her one day. The other keynote that really stood out to me that day was Dr. Jen Welter who is the first female NFL coach and played men’s football for many years herself. She was both motivational and funny. She proved to us that women can do anything men can and encouraged us to follow our dreams no matter how unattainable they may seem. 

Aside from the keynote speakers I really enjoyed the workshop that day, which featured several ladies from The New York times talking about their roles within the company, and the many roles within media. It was quite interesting and I learned about positions within a media company I didn’t even know existed. I also really enjoyed the panel about vlogging that day, it was very informative and I learned a lot of tips I will be using when it comes to my Youtube Channel (Kennedy Castillo) 

Overall the conference was the experience of a lifetime, and the knowledge I received as well as the memories I made is something that I will never forget. If you want to read more about my experience you can visit hercampus.com/utrgv to read my article about the conference or you can visit my Youtube Channel (Kennedy Castillo) to see my vlogs from the conference and the entire trip.