Internship Program Provides Social Media Training for Students

Those immersed in the digital realm are well aware of the power of short-form video on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and more. For many college students, their main avenue of communication with the world is online. From social media reel titles like, “A Day in the Life of a Community College Student,” to “Follow Me While I Host My Own Radio Show,” LCCC is meeting its audience where it’s at through a new internship program, one where students take charge of what’s being posted.

LCCC/LVHN Video Created by Haley Queenan.

This fall, four LCCC students learned what it takes to create an engaging social media platform with content that communicates the full spectrum of the student experience on campus. The new Social Media Ambassador Internship program, through LCCC’s College Relations and Student Life Office, is led by Daniel Melin, Content Developer and Social Media Specialist, along with Jill Yapsuga, Director of Marketing and Digital Media. Students learn interview skills, how to find good stories, create video and more, all to prepare them for a career in social media management.

The ambassador program is a unique, guided and complete internship that provides students with a hands-on experience and support in social media development. With its inaugural fall semester launch, four students were selected from a pool of applicants and required to attend two interactive workshops, led by Melin, in which they learned about brand identity, caption writing, the basics of photography and videography and more. They were then tasked with creating engaging videos for social media and photographing on-campus Student Life events to be used in posts. To help students learn the ins and outs of professional versus personal content creation they are required to meet with Melin throughout the program for guidance, help and idea generation.

“This program benefits the students,” Melin says. “Additionally, our social media has become more authentic by incorporating even more student voices, which impacts our department’s efforts to boost enrollment and student registration.” Both the students and College Relations and Student Life work together to create content that fits the overall goal of LCCC’s social media and stays true to the students who develop it.

From recapping the extravagant LCCC Halloween Party and Costume Contest, to spotlighting one student’s creative and unique radio show, to joining another student for a humorous day in the life, to recommending the best study spots on campus and more, the fall ambassadors showed the full spectrum of the student experience (even the wacky parts). They not only set many precedents for future cohorts, but also had fun creating their personalized videos along the way. Additionally, the program added a new layer of fun for students attending on-campus events, often times taking on the role of photographer, which allowed them to include many of their friends and peers in their projects.

Study Spots Video Created by Judenie Dorismond.

The ambassadors identified many key takeaways from the program that will help them along their academic and career journeys. “I received first-hand experience developing social media content,” Haley Queenan, a second-year general studies major, says, “I’ve also learned about choosing and understanding my target audience, as well as exploring the editing and collaboration process of doing so.” With an interest in computer science, Queenan was thankful for the opportunity to grow her skills with technology and digital marketing.

Finnegan Beatty, second-year TV/Film major, says, “The program helped me to communicate better, and it also helped me gain the skills I would need to succeed in the filmmaking industry.” An aspiring director and producer, Beatty was able to practice the more creative aspects of filming and editing for social media from behind the camera.

The internship is meant to be shaped each semester based on students’ interests and their involvement on campus. “As the program evolves,” Yapsuga says, “the ambassadors will help shape our social media presence into one that more fully encompasses the daily LCCC student experience, which helps us showcase the college in fun ways to prospective students.”

Congratulations to Finnegan Beatty, Judenie Dorismond, Joshua Reyes and Haley Queenan for completing the program. Check out the ambassadors’ work on LCCC’s TikTok page. For more information about the Social Media Ambassador Internship program, contact Daniel Melin at dmelin@lccc.edu.