Southern Illinois University

At SIU, I transformed how the university connected with students, alumni, and the wider campus community through bold, creative social media strategy and digital storytelling. I blended design thinking with authentic messaging to spark engagement, boost attendance, and build loyalty — online and off.

Highlights include:

- Increased student engagement by 30% through campaigns rooted in authenticity, trend-savvy creative, and student voice.

- Launched SIU’s first TikTok presence, driving record-breaking organic engagement and giving the university a fresh voice on a new platform.

- Boosted alumni email open rates to 85%+ by syncing social storytelling with segmented, meaningful email content.

- Created real-time event strategies that helped increase in-person attendance by 20% year over year — even in a rapidly changing environment.

This role was equal parts strategy, execution, and experimentation — and it cemented my passion for using digital content to build real connection.