On June 1st I attended the first ever HerConference in LA. You are probably wondering what the heck is HerConference and why do I care? Well stay tuned. HerConference is run by Her Campus which is a collegiate online magazine. Almost every college around the U.S. has a Her Campus Chapter and I am president of my Grand Canyon University Chapter. Her Campus puts on this conference to inspire and empower young college women to help lead them in the right direction and to follow their dreams. Here are some of my experiences from the conference.
Panels
We had the amazing opportunity to listen to different panelists speak on different subjects such as building our own brand, entrepreneurship, content creation, and much more! We got to gain knowledge and wisdom from successful influencers and how we can be successful as well.
Keynote Speakers
We had the privilege of hearing from multiple successful women in the business world and on social media. They gave us courage to pursue our dreams and helpful tips on how to get started. Here are the successful women we got to hear from:
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is an American actress and business women. She is the founder of Honest Beauty, an all-natural beauty company. She gave us background on why she wanted to start her company. She gave us some wise words on how to pursue our dreams. She said, “do not be afraid to fail” and “get out of your comfort zone.” Nothing comes easy and you have to be willing to work for what you want, and you cannot fear failure. She also told us that actions speak louder than words and that we should “lead by example” and be a role model for others.
Gabi Gregg
Gabi Gregg is a social media influencer and entrepreneur, creating fashionable clothing for plus sized women. She sends a powerful message of body positivity and being comfortable in your own skin. She says when it comes to fashion, everyone has a different style and it is all about “finding what makes you feel confident.” We should all be confident in who we are and what we wear no matter our size.
Bethany Mota
Bethany Mota is an American Youtuber known for her fashion, beauty and DIY ideas. She has also written a book called “Make Your Mind Up” in 2017. She also interviewed President Obama back in 2015.
Bethany had a lot of tips to share with us about starting our brand and pursuing our dreams. Her success comes from being herself and sharing that with the world. She is always authentic and has a childlike spirit. She says that “it is important to surround yourself with people who have the same values as you.” My favorite quote from her panel was “we all love, love” because that is absolutely true and something that every single human being has in common.
Stassi Schroeder
Stassi Schroeder is reality TV star on Vanderpump rules, fashion blogger, model and author of book “Next Level Basic: The Definitive Basic Bitch Handbook.” She talked about how she stays true to herself and how she tries to separate her personal life from her television life. She talked about the importance of chasing your dreams and not giving up on the things you want most in life.
Goodie Bags
Once we walked into the conference room there were tote bags filled with goodies from multiple sponsors on every single chair in the room. There was makeup from Mary Kay, Morphe, and Honest Beauty, fanny pack from grubhub, water bottle from Bumble, coupons and much more.
Makeovers
Outside the venue, there were makeup stations by Mary Kay, offering free makeup touch ups throughout the day to keep us looking fresh and fabulous throughout the day, and to look fabulous during all of our photo opportunities.
Free T-shirts
There was also a crop top creation station outside the venue hosted by XOXO. We had many options of what we wanted on our shirts different sayings such as “inspire” and “future boss” as well as different patches to put on such as lightning bolts, lips and patches that say “future boss.”
Free Food
The food available was just icing on the cake. Who doesn’t love free food? Breakfast and lunch was provided to us for free, as well as snacks and water throughout the day, and it was all absolutely delicious.
Photo Opportunities
It would not be a Her Campus event without endless photo opportunities. There were so many different photo backdrops to take pictures in front of with impeccable lighting to get the best Instagram worthy picture. There were different backdrops ranging from powerful and encouraging words, to floral backdrops that are perfect for any posting occasion.
Bonding Experience
Overall, this conference was a great bonding experience with my Her Campus GCU team. I made so many great memories and had so many laughs with my team. I have an even stronger love and bond with Her Campus and could not be any more grateful to have attended HerConference LA!
