Hillsdale Chargers social media is expanding its online presence to unite the student body and create excitement in Charger Nation, according to the Chargers’ social media team.

Alumna Emma Purdy ’23 took over the Chargers’ social media page immediately after graduation. With her vision and the help of two student interns, the social media accounts are booming with new reels, graphic design promotions, and a new TikTok page.

“We want to showcase our athletes because they’re wonderful people,” Purdy said. “We just want to bridge the student body and the student athletes and really make it one.”

Last week, the social media team hosted a media day for the athletes. In addition to getting professional photos taken, the athletes also partook in interviews and challenges that were later made into reels. The student-athletes enjoyed these activities, according to the social media team.

“We had them all draw Charlie the Charger and they loved it,” Purdy said. “They’re reacting really, really well to that, and I think they really kind of feel seen and loved and honestly kind of cherished a little bit more than they used to be.”

According to Purdy, it’s not only the athletes who are enjoying this new approach to Charger social media. Students across Hillsdale are taking a closer look at the social pages, and therefore becoming more invested in Charger athletics. 

After football players promoted their first game in the student union, the social media team thought there was more energy and excitement towards the game than usual, according to Purdy.

“At our last football game, we had pretty good attendance from the student body,” Purdy said. “Our views on our reels are going up. And I know it’s not just coming from the student athletes, it’s also coming from the students.”

In addition to promoting Charger nation to the whole school, the team is also working to create a unified brand identity across campus. This includes flyers, social media campaigns, and banners.

“We want people to see something either on Instagram or in the union or in the newsletter and think to themselves right away ‘Oh that’s definitely from the athletic department. That’s definitely the Chargers brand,’” Purdy said. “Because I think when you build that brand, it really draws people in.”

The student social media interns are junior Abby Kendzicky and junior Lucia Spinazze. 

“I love to watch the games, so getting to do that as my job is the best,” Spinazze said.

Some of their personal favorite reels are the football “scream challenge” and the “Hillsdale Olympics,” which can be found on TikTok or Instagram. 

“I think it’s more fun to get behind the scenes of the players and not just the scores,” Kendzicky said.

The team said it plans to spend the year growing the TikTok and Instagram pages. They plan to focus on fun themed sporting events, such as last weekend’s neon volleyball game, to generate excitement about Charger Athletics from the whole student body. 

“Honestly, we just would love to get as many students as we can to our games this year,” Purdy said.

Some posts, like a highlight reel of former Charger Jack Gohlke’s basketball career during his time at Hillsdale, have been getting views and attention from outside the student body as well. While this isn’t the main goal, it wouldn’t hurt to go viral, Kendzicky said.

“This is Charger nation,” Purdy said. “It’s not just student-athletes versus students, it’s everyone.”