Projects
Modernizing The Runner's Social Media
During my time as the editor of digital products for The Runner, I wanted to ensure that the organization was keeping up to date with social media practices and strategies so implemented some techniques for social media managers to use and content to create to keep our audience engaged. One of the first things I did was create a link tree, which allowed easier access to all our products through our social media. Designing new icons for our Instagram and the utilization of what social media offers is the opportunity to engage your audience through Q&As, polls, surveys, and communicating giveaways.
Check out the insta page by clicking the icon
Runner Reels and Runner Originals
Runner Reels are a vertical video project that the multimedia producers and myself came up with to better connect with our audience. They're vertical videos that are both informative and entertaining, and more than anything innovative for news organizations trying to connect to the student demographic. We kept up with the latest trends and utilized them in our vertical videos, we got familiar with editing software more equipped for this video format like CapCut, and the editing feature on TikTok itself. We also created a few series that proved to be the best way to keep an engaged following. We had Runner on the Road where a staff member would go around the university asking students questions and Sugar Rush, a series where staff members would try out local restaurants and shops to review them. This project got The Runner a first-place award for general innovation in the state of California.
I also emphasized the importance of communicating news through social media which is currently becoming the most popular method for people to consume their news. This project was titled Runner Originals, and it came in a multitude of formats but the basis being aesthetically pleasing designs doing the journalism. Not too hefty on the words, but enough to tell your story. These proved to be very popular with our following, as they tended to get more engagement than articles the organization was producing.
Converge Magazine
I was able to help in the production of two editions of Converge Magazine. The purpose of Converge is to open our audience to activities, issues, and communities they might not be aware of.
For the 2023 edition, I was an editor. In this issue, we had stories ranging from life as a teen mom to making at-home mocktails. My responsibilities included contacting writers to get their stories into the magazine, copy-editing said stories, and then creating page designs for their stories. Also, other necessary tasks were done like meetings, obtaining advertisements, and helping conduct the launch event.
For the 2021 edition, I was a writer. My role was to seek out interesting stories that were people-oriented and write them up these stories in a variety of styles. I got to practice interviewing and writing styles. Out of over 100 stories that were written for consideration, and 30 story limit; three of mine were chosen. I wrote a profile on a college artist having to work at the peak of the pandemic and how this affected her mentally, I wrote a fashion-centered article on the changing patterns for GenZ men and a listicle format story on three international students throughout Latin America and their culture shock experience moving to the U.S.
Runner News Network & El Resumen
Over four years The Runner had not produced news shows, and even more than that lacked in offering Spanish-based media at a university that is a Hispanic serving institute, and a community that is growing in its Latino population. I love creating digital outreach projects, so this one focused on simultaneously revamping news shows and introducing a Spanish-language version for our audience.
I was able to accomplish these through the amazing support from staff journalists and producers, as well as plenty of youtube tutorials. I got experience in scriptwriting, video editing, and anchoring both English and Spanish versions of the news shows.
