A Journey to TikTok Stardom
By: Adrian Ke, CAS ’23
Adrian working on the Manna Project’s Instagram account.
Manna Project International – Quito, Ecuador
I have been working for Manna for the past two weeks and have had such an enjoyable time. I signed up to be the social media intern because it’s a growing and exciting field which has so many applications beyond non-profits.
I am a part of an amazing close-knit team of three that I work with on a regular basis to run all the accounts for Manna—Instagram being the primary driver with a set posting schedule of five images a week. I have learned about the future of social media and spearheaded a project to get a TikTok account up and running for Manna. While the virtual format is difficult for the purposes of this undertaking, I have learned to be resourceful with the things at my disposal. I have started to dig through photo and video archives from past years to showcase the beauty of Ecuador, as well as the past initiatives which were completed in person.
Teaching is at the core of Manna’s mission—teaching volunteers about the culture and language of Ecuador and teaching. Manna has done an amazing job adapting to COVID conditions by transferring the classes to a virtual format. The purpose of teaching is highly aligned with my own values, so I have also taken on a role as a curriculum development intern. I am working on developing lesson plans for the adult English classes which serve the Quito community. I am so grateful to be able to make such an impact from so far away.
Another challenge has been communicating Manna’s central mission simply via images and videos, but it is a challenge worth pursuing. I have learned about the strategies surrounding social media like the best times to post, what content best conveys certain messages, identifying social media trends to participate in, and what platforms are at the forefront of new generations. Herein lies my journey to TikTok stardom. In an effort to reach younger audiences, this new platform was seen as one of the more promising avenues. While Facebook has been dominated by baby boomers and Instagram by millennials, Tiktok is for “GenZ.” The next step in this mission is to hit gold and go viral. A difficult task, but hopefully one I can accomplish by the end of the summer. Be sure to check back for updates as to whether or not @mannaprojectinternational makes it big! For now, signing off from Philly and Quito.
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce. Placements and funding awards are available.