One of the things I note to all of my classes as I begin of the semester is the fact that I am a big Harry Potter fan (who isn’t?!!), and I hoped not to be referred to as Professor Snape at the end of the class. Rather though, I do tell my students if I were to be classified as a professor from Harry Potter, it probably would be Professor Slughorn.
Why do you ask? Well, like Professor Slughorn, I admit I do have a shelf when it comes to exceptional students. Not a physical shelf exactly, but more like a digital shelf.
I have used social media for the last few years in each of my classes, and I realized after the first social media classes that the students were not only wanting to be part of the community still with their designated hashtags (like being in #Freberg13 or graduating from the class as #FrebergAlum), but they were also looking to social media for praise and acknowledgement of their opportunities and work after the class and graduation. That’s when I started using the hashtag #ProudProf.
There have been SO many students – both in my offline and online classes for Tennessee, UofL, and West Virginia – who have truly inspired me as a professor. This is the biggest reward for me as a professor – to see the students get their spark as they enter the workplace and in the profession they are thrilled to be in. That’s why I do what I do!
After several years and thinking about it more as we are in the early stages of the fall semester, I wanted to take it to the next level to promote students of mine who have not only succeeded, but have truly made their mark in the field. These are students who have set the standard for work ethic, commitment, dedication, and strategic and creative insights into PR, IMC, and social media. But I wanted to do it in a way that showcases this visually and tell the story behind the reason behind #ProudProf.
So, that’s why I am going to start a visual series on social media (Twitter and Instagram) for showcasing students who are inspiring me with their commitment, hard work, dedication, and success in the workplace.
I am going to go beyond just posting a tweet or picture of support for these students. As I talked about in my post about five ways to translate Horace Slughorn’s shelf into the digital space, I will be walking the walk as well by investing in supporting them by purchasing merchandise, coffee mugs, and other items from their current company.
So, first one on the list is one of my former students at the University of Louisville, Samantha Hughey. Samantha is currently working on the Team USA social and digital team in Colorado Springs. Samantha’s one of the hardest working, dedicated, and talented students I have had at the University of Louisville.
From working on her social media proposal on Thunder Lounge to leading UofL Athletic’s social media teams to presenting at an international conference in Greece and publishing a research article by herself (as a Master’s student), Samantha kept on raising the bar. It’s not only the fact that Samantha in my opinion did exceptional work, but she would always, no matter what task, go 110%. Not 99, not 100, but always 110%, which was always inspiring to see as a professor and share with other students.
To show my support, I went ahead and got a few Team USA shirts to wear around Louisville. Plus, Samantha will be returning to my class as a guest speaker to talk about her Greece presentation and her experience with social media and sports. I will try to either 1) invest in the company products to showcase on social media or 2) if the organization doesn’t have a store to sell branded products, I will share a picture of the logo and featured student with the #ProudProf.
This is just the first post and feature in a long line of #ProudProf posts I want to do to showcase all of my students (will try to do one each week at least). My goal for these posts is to showcase my pride, support, and encouragement for each of these current and former students in their workplace. While they are entering a new chapter of their lives, we as professors can continue to support, praise, and congratulate them among our respective communities.
So, I hope this post will inspire and encourage my fellow professor colleagues to share these stories and to highlight those students who not only have been successful in their job, but who have truly inspired them as a professor.
What is great to see from a professor standpoint is the fact that there are so many professors now on social media. Many are using Twitter in particular to share updates, readings, announcements, and guest lecture updates with their students and the community. However, we may want to use our own platforms to showcase the students who are excelling in their internships/ jobs for other students to inspire to. What better way to do this by showcasing these stories on social media? I am grateful to have had some amazing students now and in the past from Tennessee, Louisville, and West Virginia.
Hope you are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
