This year, UConn’s Class of 2022 is the most diverse, accomplished group of first-year students the university has admitted. Over 12,000 students moved in to the Storrs campus on Friday, Aug. 27 to start the annual Husky Week of Welcome, a weekend of activities dedicated to the first year students to properly welcome them to UConn Nation.
With each incoming class, students are becoming more socially adept, connecting on social platforms as a way to express themselves and also stay connected with their interests.
I’ve covered HuskyWoW in previous years, but this one felt different. As a senior, I felt more of a connection to my coverage this year, and I believe it came across when capturing the moments of the weekend. Combining the mindset of #UConn2022 and our content producing strategy, the intent was to be “The Essentials of HuskyWoW.” This was a small way of reminding students about the importance of the events associated with their first weekend at UConn that they’ll reflect on come Commencement 2022.
Move in weekend was chaotic and hot. As early as 7 a.m., parents moved in their children and said goodbye after purchasing gear and textbooks inside of our bookstore and eating inside of our Student Union. Capturing these moments was essential. I find that when covering large scale events such as move-in weekend, it’s important to grasp the emotional value to what you’re covering: A family collecting their first round of campus gear or new roommates coming to the Jonathan statue for the first time and making their first wish upon rubbing his nose. Yes, you may get asked to send a photo or two to them after taking it, but you’ve also captured content that upon posting, will tell a cumulative story that other viewers will also connect to.
Aside from capturing emotion, it’s important to grasp the highlights of what is happening. An example includes the tradition of the class photo. On the early morning following move in, first year students were invited to our Great Lawn to line up within the letters U-C-O-N-N and take a group photo alongside football Head Coach Randy Edsall and Jonathan the Husky. The morning featured a pump up and giveaways to energize the crowd, including UConn Social t-shirts being shot out of a t-shirt gun. By that time, some students caught on to my role after connecting the photos posted and the person running around the events. It was incredibly helpful because students became more willing to engage and play along with my ideas for photos and boomerangs.
By the time the weekend was complete and the first day of classes came, #UConn2022 had a clear indication/perspective of what our presence is within their new college experience. We are there to capture their moments and invite them to participate in it too. Gen Z is a savvy cohort when it comes to social media, and we as social content producers need to take advantage of this upon telling their story.