Her Campus, an international online publication for collegiate women, recently opened a chapter at Grinnell College. Founded and led by Katy Tucker ’16 with Ariel Keller ’17 and Dana Sherry ’16, Grinnell’s campus chapter operates with a team of 14 writers and other contributors. Tucker, the editor-in-chief, started the chapter as a project with her and her friends.

Tucker’s first exposure to the publication occurred during her senior year of high school while she was volunteering with an anti-eating disorder group at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“I thought it was really cool that they had this ‘by women, for women’ online magazine. I love writing as well as bringing attention to talented writers and people on campus. It seemed like a good fit so I applied [to Her Campus] and within a few weeks they approved me to set up a chapter here,” she said.

The Grinnell chapter is linked closely to the national branch, churning out weekly features that highlight current events and happenings on campus, as well as spotlighting students for the Campus Cutie and Campus Celebrity columns. There is also a blog section, which is composed of open-ended opinion pieces, as well as a snapshot section that displays photos of students and campus events.

“The articles are fun to read. I think it’s a great resource for writers on campus to develop journalism experience,” said Lauren Toppeta ’17. “Being on Her Campus circulates information about our campus’ culture and increases our name recognition in circles where people otherwise might not have found out about Grinnell,” Toppeta added.

Her Campus Grinnell is currently focusing on expanding its outreach on campus and hosting more events, including an upcoming pub quiz at Bob’s Underground Café.

“My goal is to create something that is accessible, relatable and insightful. I want people to get hooked by an article because it interests and relates to them, but also so they can learn something more, whether it’s about a fellow student on campus or a particular topic we’re focusing on,” Tucker said.

“One of the most rewarding things about this job is when we post an article about a person and their grandparents will ‘like’ it or when new writers will get their work [published] and their parents will comment, ‘We’re so proud of you!’” Tucker said.

Anyone interested in writing or contributing to Her Campus Grinnell should email hercampus@grinnell.edu and those who want to visit should go to www.hercampus.com/school/grinnell. Tucker is eager for the young publication to increase its presence on campus.

“I want it to reflect what people are thinking on campus. We want to diversify our readership and writers as much as possible. It’s exciting to be a part of this new start-up that’s getting a lot of attention.”