Here are two ladies who aspire to inspire others through their blog, In Her Shoes RK. Graduating college and trekking into the real world, especially in today’s economy and the weakening job market, can be a frightening thought for many.
With every young person in their twenties seeking their own adventure and path to success, it can be tough to catch up and make a mark in this world. Having been recent college graduates themselves, Corryn (Ryn) Hurrington and Ekene (Ken) Ugboaja understand the struggles that come with adulthood.
Their blog, In Her Shoes RK, represents their trials and tribulations and allows their readers to follow their journey as twenty-year-old women. They revealed to YHM their biggest fears to their hopes for the future, and more!
Young Hot & Modern: First off, how did the two of you meet and what urged you to create In Her Shoes RK?
Ryn & Ken: We met on the Rutgers Track Team, and after four years of pain and suffering, you kind of get to know each other pretty well. The summer after we graduated we face-timed A LOT complaining about the job search process and how hearing “so tell me about yourself” became equivalent to the grating sound of our coach’s whistle. It was bad, and we knew we couldn’t be the only ones. So we created a space to commiserate with every other twenty something year old and also keep ourselves accountable.
YHM: Our generation thrives off the usage of technology and it appears as if everyone is becoming a blogger these days. What makes your website so unique and distinguishable from the rest?
R & K: Our blog is unique because we’re very candid about the fact that life after graduation is not all roses and rainbows. We also write from a perspective of commiseration. We’re recent grads ourselves, it’s not a phase we’ve already went through and lived to write about it so we’re taking our readers through the journey and trying to expose the lessons we learn on the way.
YHM: What is the main message that you intend to convey to the public through your blog?
R & K: You are not alone. It’s okay to not have it all figured it out. This is the real version of what its like to be twenty something with a degree or two and not the glamorized version.
YHM: What has been the biggest struggle for you as women in your twenties?
R & K: I think patience and not knowing what’s next. Realizing college was such a fantasy – you knew exactly what to expect [and ] everything was mapped out. We knew what next year’s classes and internships looked like, what next years competition looked like, what was going to be served in the dining hall. We even knew what to expect dating wise from the male population. Now all those staples are gone. You don’t know what’s coming.
YHM: I’m sure many other college grads and college students are going through the same ordeals in preparing for the real world. What is some advice you would give to those attempting to find their places in the world?
RH: Listen to you and mostly you!!
KU: There’s so much advice being offered, based on journeys and goals that are far different from yours. Though a lot of the advice has merit your voice could easily get lost in the noise. You want to make sure you’re doing for you.
YHM: You’ve been quite candid about your struggles to land an ideal job after graduation. How do you deal with the stress and waiting and what would you tell others who are going through the same situation?
R & K: Back away from the ledge! No we’re kidding. Realize you will never have this time again ever in life. Although it sucks not having money or seeing all the offer letter posts on Instagram – use this time to do what you want. You’ll honestly work for the rest of your life.
YHM: I love the idea of implementing the theme of a journey; from walking, to running, and then to strutting. What helped you come up with this idea?
R & K: The thought of a journey and how every move you make can be sorted into either small steady steps (walk) or huge fast sprints (run) or bold strides with flare (strut). There’s a gradient to the process. Sorry we’re runners it makes sense to us.
YHM: Is there a certain group of people you would like to reach out to or do you believe your website is designed for a broad audience?
R & K: Originally it was intended to reach the postgraduate. But we realize its applicable to a broader range; the twenty something year old either still in college or well past the recent graduate window. We’ve got something for everybody.
YHM: What are some of your biggest fears as adults? Have you conquered any of these fears?
RH: Regret. But honestly who doesn’t fear that. Either way every “wrong turn”, decision good or bad will make for an awesome autobiography.
KU: Waking up at 40 with a mid life crisis. We don’t want to ever think back and say I could have or should have done something. So we’re choosing to sort of bring on the quarter life crises now. To make the mistakes now, explore now, and experiment now.
YHM: What do you hope to accomplish with this website specifically? How do you want it to impact your viewers/audience?
R & K: As we grow and learn, we hope that our audience does the same. It goes back to our original goal of shedding the glamour we hope to strip away others quarter-life crises, and have them learn from our experiences. We want someone to read our blog and say exactly! That’s how I feel, or that makes me feel better or most of all, hmm am I doing this for me?