“When is the game? What was the score? Who are we playing against?” These are questions I hear constantly during athletic seasons. Too often, the answers are scattered, unclear, and unanswered. As someone involved in both athletics and graphic design, Leveling Up Darlington Athletics, my Senior Ventures project, is my effort to improve the quality, consistency, and branding of our athletic programs through social media, specifically Instagram.
Beyond the numbers, inclusivity is a major part of my work. This year, I have worked to advertise all varsity programs equally, receiving the same quality graphic and consistency of posts. Every athlete deserves recognition, and every program contributes to Darlington’s athletic culture and community.
A large part of this project has been developing an efficient and reliable process behind the scenes. For each sport, I coordinate schedules, confirm game details, and plan posts in advance. I use Adobe software to create templates from scratch that can be adapted quickly while maintaining a consistent look. I also learned how to balance speed with quality, especially when things need to be posted quickly. Through the information I shared, I learned how to manage feedback, adjust designs, and make decisions that best represented the school rather than my personal preference. Taking ownership of something visible to the entire community taught me confidence and the value of leadership through service.
Looking ahead to next year, I am expanding Leveling Up Darlington Athletics beyond my own work, with a focus on ensuring it continues after I graduate. To do this, I have created an iPeriod with students who have demonstrated creativity and commitment to Darlington. I train these students to carry on the work by teaching them how to design effective graphics, interview skills, follow consistent branding, and communicate athletic information properly to the school community.
For me, this project has represented more than just a collection of graphics. Through communication, consistent branding, and intentional storytelling, I helped bring visibility and energy to Darlington sports.
The impact of my work has been measurable. In the last 90 days alone, content shared through this project has received 726,421 views, 17,531 interactions (including likes, comments, and shares), and 155 new followers. These numbers show that students and parents are more engaged and school spirit has grown because athletics are being represented in a clear way.
As a senior, my goal was not just to improve athletics for one year, but to build something that would last. By setting standards and preparing other students to take ownership, I ensured that this work would continue long after I graduate. This project shows that creativity, when guided by passionate people, can leave a lasting mark.
Senior Ventures is a year-long academic program built on a framework of leadership, innovation and community engagement. Through a proven self-guided exploratory process, seniors whose proposals are selected for this program work independently to develop a project that’s interdisciplinary in scope and is connective, performance-based, investigative, or entrepreneurial. Click here to learn more.
