If you're a HC reader, you know that last Saturday April 26, we hosted Her Campus's first-ever National Pre-Collegiette Conference at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, the collegiate capital of the world!
After having an amazing time the past two summers at our National Intercollegiette Conference for college women in NYC, we decided it was time to let the pre-collegiettes in on the action, too, with a special conference tailored just for them (and their moms!).
On Saturday, attendees arrived at the conference and started the day with breakfast from Maia Yogurt (yum!) and received sweet goody bags full of loads of fun products including a super cute See Jane Work Notebook from Office Depot for them to take notes in throughout the day, Intel blue nail polish (more on Intel later!), a free burrito card from Chipotle (them too!), bags of popchips (our fave), Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes, DHC Skincare deep cleansing oil, coupons and special offers from Wrentham Premium Outlets, and a Wrentham Premium Outlets tote. The day was off to a good start!
After a welcome address by my co-founder Windsor, attendees were off to the first two panel and workshop sessions, where they could pick from panels including "Who Gets In and Why: Inside Highly Selective Admissions" (led by a Tufts admissions officer), "Packing for College 101: What to Pick & What to Skip" where real college girls dished on what they wished they had and hadn't brought with them freshman year, "Making Healthy Choices: How to Fuel Your Body Right in College", led by a college nutritionist, and many more. In between panels, attendees munched on yummy snacks thanks to Neuro, popchips, and Hint Water.
After two sets of panels and workshops, it was time for lunch! Chipotle provided lunch for the entire conference, with massive mouthwatering make-your-own-burrito (or bowl) spreads, which included their new gluten-free and vegan Sofritas option which we were pumped to try! It goes without saying that lunch was *delicious*, and made us even more excited for the free Chipotle burrito cards that were in our goody bags!
Once we had sufficiently filled up on Chipotle (is there ever such a thing?!) to power us through the rest of the day, it was time to head into the auditorium for our keynote speaker, Jessica Bashelor, founder and owner of The Handle Bar Indoor Cycling Studio in South Boston and Fenway, and a Northeasterm 2010 grad herself! Jessica talked about how her college process started out rocky when Northeastern was the only college she was admitted to, and how once there, she changed her major and intended career path more times than she could count! After jumping around a bit after graduation including a sales and marketing gig at an activewear start-up and a return to waitressing, she got the idea to found The Handle Bar, and got to work in order to make it happen. Since opening its first location last summer, The Handle Bar has been wildly successful, and in April of this year they opened their second location! Jessica stressed to high school girls (and their moms!) that it's ok if you don't know exactly what you want to do yet, as long as you keep working hard and looking for what you're passionate about.
At this point, I want to call out our *amazing* conference sponsor Intel, who powered this year's conference! For those of you who don't know, Intel makes the processor or "brain" inside so many of our laptops, tablets, desktops, phones and other technology devices we use every day. Intel showcased a variety of products at the conference (tablets, portable all-in-one PCs and 2 in 1 devices that are a tablet and laptop in one), so that attendees could check out the latest in must-have tech and see which device is best for them as they prepare for their journey into college life! Intel powers some of the coolest new technology devices on the market that you NEED as you head to college – to not only be productive as you get your studying done, but also to keep you connected to family and friends and entertain you in your downtime.
After lunch, it was time for our third panel and workshop block! Attendees picked from panels including "From College to Career: How to Land Internships in College" and "So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur?: Starting A Business In College".
Throughout the day, attendees were Facebooking, tweeting, and Instagramming up a storm as usual (with #HStoHC), but especially so because their social media posts gave them extra shots at scoring our amazing raffle prizes at the end of the day! Attendees could "cash in" their qualifying social media posts at our Social Currency Station for extra raffle tickets for the prize of their choosing, which were: 2 devices from Intel (a Sony VAIO Tap 11 2 in 1 device and an Intel-powered Toshiba Encore 8” tablet), catering cards from Chipotle (to host a Chipotle party for 20 people!), bags from LeSportsac, and Navajo sandals from Jack Rogers. Fingers crossed!
After the third set of panels and workshops, it was time for a fashion show where we schooled (pun intended!) pre-collegiettes on what to and what NOT to wear to different events in college, and how to transition their wardrobe so they wouldn't look like a high-schooler when they got to campus! We showed what to wear to class, to the gym, to sports games, to college formals, and more, with real college girls and our staffers as the models!
Last but not least, it was time to announce the raffle prize winners! 5 lucky ladies scored Chipotle catering cards, 2 scored Intel-powered devices, 5 scored LeSportsac bags, and 1 scored a pair of Jack Rogers Navajo sandals! Pining for your own Intel-powered device (we are too!)? Not to worry! We'll be hosting a giveaway for an Intel-powered 2 in 1 device in an upcoming HC Study Break email blast, so be sure to sign up and check your email!
All in all, we had an incredible day, meeting pre-collegiettes and their parents, and getting them even more pumped (and prepared!) for college applications and college life! We loved getting to meet so many of our High School Ambassadors and Her Campus Blogger Network members in person, and we loved working with our partner Intel to put on this conference!
Couldn't make it to the conference this year? Look out for information on next year's conference in our HC Study Break email blasts, and in the meantime, check out Her Campus's High School section and our Complete College Guide!