By Sabrina ’26
One of my favorite things about being a student at Harvard-Westlake is all of the unique opportunities the school has to offer for students in a variety of subjects and fields. The HW Athletics Social Media Team speaks to Harvard-Westlake’s drive to provide their students with many outlets to explore their passions and expand on them in many ways they never thought possible.
While the team is fairly new, it has grown immensely and really expanded in terms of size and reach. In essence, students have joined together to manage Harvard-Westlake’s very own athletics social media accounts and bring a fresh new approach to how we celebrate our school’s athletes. Students choose which sports they would like to cover and meet in groups, delegating responsibilities such as who is in charge of attending which home game, posting certain game-day graphics, live scores, etc. We meet every week to discuss scheduling and make sure everyone is playing their part or has others to rely on if they are unable. We track the growth of our accounts and discuss new ways of engaging with our audience. The aim of the team is to provide students with experience in social media management and creation, while also curating the school’s online presence in order to support our amazing athletics.
Being a part of this team really feels like you’re working behind the scenes at Harvard-Westlake. From brainstorming ideas for videos to VIP media passes at games, it is unlike any other opportunity for students to really take on a leadership role and gain real life experience in sports media and managing a social media account in general. The athletics social media team puts great trust into its members, each running their designated sports’ accounts which contribute to the larger athletics page. In this digital day and age, outreach is extremely important. Having the opportunity to work as a group to grow an account and adapt together can help students gain the skills needed to manage their own online business or platform.
The athletics social media team is “social” for a reason- you really do build so many connections on many different levels. Members of each designated sport work closely with coaches, learning about the players and becoming familiar with a different side of athletics. Students bond with each other through the videos they create and social media team members even attend practices to film what goes into game days from each individual’s perspective.
I have truly enjoyed my time as a member and captain on the team so far. On a personal level, it has allowed me to combine my love for visual art with athletics through graphic design, creative editing, animations, logos, etc. The photo and video team attends home games throughout the week, capturing incredible moments on and off the field. The athletics social media team strongly encourages creativity and personality in the content we create. We want to engage with the student body, celebrate our wins as a school, and bring on the H-W spirit!
The athletics social media team shines a spotlight on student athletes. Who we are as a team is just one example of what Harvard-Westlake has to offer and the communities built to not just support but celebrate their students. Check out the Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hwathletics/?hl=en
