In January 2021, Penn State Lehigh Valley’s (PSU-LV) Student Life team sought to change the tone of an already challenging year. In an effort to encourage students throughout the semester, the team launched “Be Well, Stay Strong, Have Fun”, a daily social media contest and campaign on its Instagram page (@psulvstudentlife). The goal was to keep students uplifted throughout this unprecedented semester with educational and engaging posts. During the campaign, students were encouraged to follow daily and weekly posts on PSU-LV’s Student Life page. A daily contest and drawing provided additional incentive to stay engaged and motivated.
First-year student Kaili Enslin was the winner of two prizes in the Be Well contest—a water bottle and sweatshirt. Enslin, who lives about an hour from campus, said the contest helped her feel a sense of belonging during the pandemic
The campaign’s posts covered a variety of areas, from health and wellness topics like relaxation, fitness, and cooking tips, to fun brain teasers, to information on national recognition days like National Ice Cream Day. In addition to the entertainment posts, Penn State Lehigh Valley also used its platform to remind students the library and learning center resources were still available. While most of the content was compiled by Pam Fleck, assistant director of student affairs, student worker Georgia Gonzalez added further creativity and inspiration to each post.
Other campus departments also contributed information to the Student Life campaign. Career Services, Advising, the Learning Center and Library all submitted ideas during the semester. Towards the final weeks, the theme changed to “Focus on Finishing”. A total of 75 posts were shared, one per weekday for each week of the semester. With hundreds of students following along, 75 winners were selected, and approximately 60 students were one-time winners. The active participation of Student Life and other campus departments, as well as the engaged, motivated students at Penn State Lehigh Valley, made the campaign a success.
