From the Nominator

Student Takeovers: Handing Over The Microphone is an on-going series where Aggies from across campus get to pick up their phones and share a glimpse into what it’s like to be a UC Davis student. Rooted in amplifying the student voice, this series provides the UC Davis and Undergraduate Admissions Instagram Stories and Snapchat ecosystems with authentic and real content. 

Sixteen undergraduate students creatively showed the UC Davis social media community what it is like to be a college student during a pandemic. They took us on adventures to campus (masked and social distanced, of course). We visited their favorite places to get boba, donuts, and food. We met some of their parents. One takeover was even done entirely in Spanish. Zoom classes and homework were included, and friends and pets made appearances. And we learned about what they cared about. One talked extensively about what they do to live more sustainably while in Davis, while another focused on ensuring all transfer students transitioned smoothly. 

Coupled with current students' keen interest in sharing their own lives, this content became a series, as more research on what prospective students wanted to see centered around the authentic student experience. Using tools and processes that allowed for scalability and accessibility, the series kicked off in September 2020. And,  less important than sharing any student story, the content outperformed other story content in regards to total views (7% increase) and engagements (140% increase) for the UC Davis Instagram.