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Student influencers take to social media to share their love for FIU

Student influencers take to social media to share their love for FIU

The university's social media ambassador program is equipping students to become content creation experts — and students are spotlighting their Panther pride

Campus & Community

By Gisela Valencia

October 21, 2024 at 3:50pm

Thanks to FIU’s innovative social media student ambassador program, the university has become a leader in yet another area: student-produced social media content and strategy.

The FIU Creators program, as it’s commonly called, has quickly become a coveted student experience. FIU’s own social media team — housed within the Division of Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs — selects promising student content creators, provides them with professional development opportunities as well as presentations led by local influencers (such as Mr. Eats 305 and PrissyMaae), and teaches the students the ins and outs of FIU’s social media strategy.

For their part, the student creators get to show off their social media chops and apply what they’re learning by creating content that reflects their lives and experiences at FIU.

“It’s actual students showing what the actual college experience at FIU is like,” says Maria Rives, assistant director of social media at FIU. “That’s what prospective students want to see when they look at our social media sites. They want to know, ‘Do I see myself in anyone at FIU?’ The creators represent diverse majors, interests and cultures. Prospective students can see themselves in the creators and they can see what it’s like to be a Panther.”

The student’s content is so effective that Rives has received phone calls from social media departments at other universities interested in learning how the FIU Creators program works, as they consider establishing similar programs at their universities.  

Creator Sofia Vargas Palacios, a public relations and marketing major, shares a
glimpse of her FIU day in this Instagram post.

Rives says part of the success of the FIU program lies in keeping students at the center of its goals. The program not only provides the university with unique, student-created content, she says, but offers the content creators themselves unique opportunities to gain hands-on experiences, make connections and build their digital communications skills. 

“This is important because content creation is a massive industry,” Rives explains. “We’re equipping students to create content for a brand and giving them a look into what that industry could be like. Some students want to become influencers or brand ambassadors. Others just like creating great content. No matter what you’re studying or what your goal is, you need to know how to brand yourself. That’s part of what we teach the creators.”

Students from all across the university are eager to sign up. This year’s cohort of 30 creators represent a variety of majors, including electrical engineering, international business, natural and applied sciences, elementary education, hospitality, digital communications and more.

The one thing they all have in common? Their love for FIU. These students are so proud to be Panthers, that they take to social media to proclaim it.

Meet three of 30 students in this year’s cohort and learn about their journey as content creators.

Nicole Acevedo

Nicole Acevedo, a student in the accelerated master’s program in interior architecture, says that being a creator means spotlighting all the amazing things happening within her program.

nicole-acevedo.png“I mainly want to share what it is I do in my major and show potential students all that the department has to offer,” she says. “It’s a way to share our personal experience and show off our Panther pride, all while connecting with other students.”

Acevedo has been posting publicly on social media for several years as part of her content creation strategy for a business she began during the pandemic — selling custom jewelry. She says some of her videos have gone viral and demand for her jewelry has grown exponentially. She has even been invited by local businesses to host her own pop-up station at their locations. She has over 30,000 followers on Instagram for her business account.

Now, she’s excited to fine-tune her skills and grow her personal Instagram account. She wants to share her FIU journey. She has already posted about various FIU events and plans to create content about cool things she’s learning as part of a yacht design class she’s taking this semester.

Artistry, she says, is the theme that ties all her interests together. “Jewelry design and interior architecture both have to do with picking out materials, colors, finding a way to balance and make them look cohesive. It’s exactly the same for social media content.”

Katherine Nykolaiszyn

For Katherine Nykolaiszyn, a digital communications and interactive media major, the experience dovetails perfectly with her area of study — and is deepening her passion for communications.

katherine-headshot.png

She is currently a student assistant in the Division of Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs, working in both media relations and community event management. She says her FIU activities are all converging to provide a seamless experience in which she learns new things in class, during her job and as a content creator. She then applies that knowledge to her work in all three areas.

She says the creator’s program has helped her come out of her shell and move past any shy feelings about posting online. It has also allowed her to discover a new potential career goal: to one day become a creative director for a brand.

“I realized that I love the creative process behind content creation,” she says, “the production side, creating mood boards, having that vision. I really like that.”

Her favorite part about being a creator?

“Showing how much I love FIU,” she says. “I’m a second-generation Panther, and I work on campus. A lot of people can relate to that. I want prospective students to see how amazing FIU is. I love creating content that speaks to FIU’s brand while also aligning with my aesthetic. People get to see my perspective of the college experience. It’s an awesome opportunity.”


Justin Jean-Baptiste

Many creators appreciate learning how to better connect with their online audience. They also embrace the networking opportunities the program provides.

justin.jpgJustin Jean-Baptiste is one of those students. He is majoring in linguistics and interdisciplinary studies. He is also a student on FIU's Model United Nations team. Even before joining the FIU Creators program, Jean-Baptiste, who is the president of the chess club, gained over four million views on his Instagram post about the club.

His goal is to become a diplomat, and his passion project is teaching English or linguistics-related information through social media. “I want to teach and inform people,” he says. “Content creation is the way to reach a mass audience.”

He’s most excited about posting content related to his Model UN competitions as well as a look into the Everglades, which he’ll visit as part a class he’s taking on the ecology of South Florida.

Jean-Baptiste says that FIU’s social media team is helping him grow into an even stronger content creator.

“They are teaching me all the tips and tricks,” he says. “In the past, I mostly posted memes, but they’re teaching me how to edit videos and do more. I’ve met a lot of people through the program and they’re giving me advice. FIU has such a special place in my heart. It has been a home for me. There are so many opportunities here, it’s hard not to be happy.”