The Challenge

VCU Sustainability needed to reach students in a way that felt authentic and actionable, not just informational. Sustainability can sometimes feel abstract or distant, so the challenge was to translate broad environmental initiatives into content that feels personal, relevant, and part of everyday campus life. The goal was to inspire engagement and make environmental action something students could see themselves participating in.

The Approach

To tackle this, I immersed myself in campus culture and student life, analyzing past social content and speaking directly with students to understand what resonates. I focused on creating a content strategy that aligned with key events, sustainability initiatives, and seasonal moments. By centering storytelling around authentic student experiences and everyday campus moments, the content aimed to make sustainability tangible, relatable, and exciting.

Creative Execution & Deliverables

Working alongside the communications & engagements team, I managed the creative process from start to finish. This included concept ideation, photography and videography, graphic design, copywriting, and scheduling posts across social channels. The content highlighted student voices, behind-the-scenes sustainability efforts, and campus events, ensuring every post felt visually compelling and true to VCU Sustainability’s mission. I experimented with post formats such as Reels, carousel posts, and story takeovers to maximize engagement and keep the content fresh.

Results & Impact

The approach strengthened VCU Sustainability’s online presence, growing the social media following from <1,500 to over 2,000. Engagement increased through more relatable, story-driven content, helping students see environmental action as part of everyday campus life. Iterating on visuals, tone, and formats allowed the content to consistently connect with students, making sustainability feel approachable and engaging.

Personal Takeaways

This project reinforced the importance of understanding your audience deeply. Conducting comparative research and analyzing previous content helped me identify what resonates with students and how to translate insights into effective posts. Managing the content calendar end-to-end taught me how to balance planning with flexibility, coordinating posts around events and initiatives while keeping a cohesive brand voice. Overall, this experience strengthened my skills in strategy, research, content creation, and iterative problem-solving, showing me how thoughtful, audience-informed planning drives meaningful engagement.