The Context

Her Campus is a US national media brand written by and for Gen Z women, with chapters at universities across the country. During my exchange semester in New York I joined the St. John's University chapter as a weekly writer, covering theatre, culture and student life for an American readership.

What I did

I wrote a weekly article across a range of registers: cultural analysis, service journalism and personal essay. The pieces covered Broadway, the Tony nominations, and practical guides for students new to New York — written for a readership my own age, in my third language.

The angle

Writing for Her Campus meant writing for a specific reader rather than a general one, and the pieces reflect that. Some are analytical — reading a play through the generation watching it, or breaking down an awards season. Others are useful — how to get cheap Broadway tickets, where to go for theatre beyond the main stages. The common thread is knowing who is reading and what they need from the piece.

Takeaways

A weekly deadline in a second language teaches economy: you stop reaching for the word you'd use in your own language and find the one that works. And writing for a defined audience — Gen Z women discovering New York — trained the instinct that matters most in communications: starting from the reader, not the subject.