From the Nominator

Senior Year at Pomona College is a documentary developed and executed in-house. It was released in four parts throughout an academic year. The documentary followed four students from various backgrounds as they embarked on their final year at Pomona College. The main audience for this project was prospective students, but the documentary was also seen by current students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The documentary was shot over the course of the academic year, starting from the first day of classes and ending with commencement in May 2024. The documentary rollout was split into four distinct episodes. Through sit-down interviews and video coverage of classes, research, club outings, sporting events, and various campus events, we were able to tell an engaging story that centered on our four students, but also showed off the many campus resources, faculty, and staff that these students come into contact with. The project was released in video form, and we were able to leverage our social media pages, webpage, and alumni magazine to maximize reach. This project was time-intensive but had a great impact. The first video in the series got 300% more views than a typical video on our YouTube page and over 500% more watch time. That translates into 2,413 views and 151.2 watch hours. Qualitative feedback from community members was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing appreciation for the opportunities that the college provides. This project helped enhance college pride and fostered a stronger sense of community.

From the Judges

This ambitious and powerful documentary effectively captured the evolving student experience across an academic year, creating moving and authentic narratives. The strategic, evolving release of episodes, leveraging student and staff collaboration, resulted in high engagement and impressive viewership. This highly impactful and adaptable model humanizes the college experience and fosters immense pride.