{"id":818,"date":"2019-04-30T23:48:20","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T23:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/?p=818"},"modified":"2022-05-24T21:13:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T21:13:44","slug":"social-butterfly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/social-butterfly\/","title":{"rendered":"Social butterfly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Berenice<\/a>Student intern shapes university\u2019s growing social media<\/h3>\n

Photos, stories and videos posted online keep alumni and community members connected to the university, while reaching new and prospective students with an authentic picture of life on campus. Over the last several years EOU has upped its social media efforts on all platforms, and a new internship position boosted its standing even further.<\/p>\n

By December 2018, EOU outpaced all other regional and technical universities in Oregon with the fastest growing fanbase on Facebook and Instagram. Engagement with followers also reached a new high last fall, according to site analytics.<\/p>\n

A significant part of this growth comes from the work of art<\/a> and anthropology<\/a> student Berenice Chavez, who served as social media intern for admissions throughout 2018-19. Her photos and posts capture campus life from a student perspective and engage alumni, students and stakeholders in university culture.<\/p>\n

A first-generation student, Chavez\u2019s focus on photography as an art form dovetails with an interest in documenting civilizations and customs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to be a National Geographic<\/a> photojournalist, where I could document people and their stories in photos,\u201d Chavez said. \u201cThis internship has given me a whole new way to apply art in modern media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chavez has introduced a series of \u201cPeople of EOU\u201d posts that feature authentic stories from students. She said she takes the responsibility seriously, and seeks to balance the weightiness of academia with the lighthearted world of emojis and \u201clikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I can see myself being able to do this for another institution because I could show them the increased engagement and followers we\u2019ve gotten this year.\u201d<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of pressure to represent an institution and capture that in an image,\u201d she said. \u201cI play a big part because of how many people view my photos, or interact with the polls and questions I post.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her inaugural post on Instagram<\/a> quickly became the most-liked photo EOU has ever posted on platform. Since then, she\u2019s combined her creative approach with distinct strategy and goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is totally setting me up for success,\u201d she said. \u201cNow I can see myself being able to do this for another institution because I could show them the increased engagement and followers we\u2019ve gotten this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chavez plans to complete her art capstone this spring, and wrap up her anthropology capstone next year. She said her experience as an intern has improved her confidence and enthusiasm to collaborate with a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you do something new, you\u2019re going to be scared and there are going to be challenges, but you have to just do your best,\u201d Chavez said.<\/p>\n

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