Irving ISD launches Student Influencer program
In Irving ISD, one of the responsibilities of the Marketing and Communications department is to raise brand awareness and tell the story of the District. Who better to tell the story than the main characters – the students? This is how the Irving ISD Student Influencer program was born. This initiative provides high school students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in various areas of marketing including social media and content creation, event management and more – all while utilizing their voices to advocate for the district and its offerings. The Student Influencer program represents everything Irving ISD stands for – empowering and fostering students’ full potential.
The program was officially launched in October 2023, with nine students selected from across the district’s four comprehensive high schools to represent their campuses and Irving ISD. Students underwent a thorough selection process which included getting approval from their principals, submitting an application and video stating why they wanted to join the program, collecting recommendations from their teacher and counselor and participating in in-person interviews with members of the Marketing and Communications team. The nine students selected as the inaugural Influencer cohort range from sophomores to seniors, and they are all heavily involved on campus – from athletics to fine arts and CTE programs. Internal and external students alike can look at this cohort and see someone they can relate to.
“This initiative gives high school students an opportunity to have their voices amplified while establishing the brand of the district from their perspective which I love. Our students are the reason we’re able to do what we do each day, and it’s exciting to see how our Student Influencers are showcasing all of the great things our district has to offer. I am so proud of them and the work they’re doing,” says Superintendent of Schools Magda Hernandez.
This year’s Influencer cohort has had a strong start. For social media content, Influencers work closely with the Digital Media and Marketing Coordinator to determine the type of content that will be published, how it will be captured and then receive one-on-one training during the editing process. Influencers get a first-hand look at the entire process of content creation from conceptualization to publication. In this first year of the Influencer initiative, we have focused on creating content for the district’s Instagram account, where the audience is primarily students. This has yielded impressive results. Since the program’s inception, there has been a 17% increase in followers on Instagram with Influencer content obtaining an average of 190K views.
Influencers have also been involved with districtwide events coordinated by the Marketing and Communications team, including the annual State of the District and Teacher of the Year celebration with roles varying from emceeing to serving as stage and production assistants and ushers. Nimitz High School Student Influencer Mya Young was enlisted to serve as a speaker on the main stage at the State of the District to share her success story as a student in Irving ISD. For her, this has been one of the many highlights of being in the program.
“Since being in this program, I’ve been able to give the public an inside look into my life as a student-athlete and share my success story at State of the District. Being a Student Influencer is being a leader not only on your campus, but for the district as well,” says Young. “I would encourage other students to apply for this program because you never know what can happen. If you don’t think you’re a leader, this program will definitely shape you to be a leader.”
Irving High School Student Influencer MaKenna Hearne, also spoke at this year’s State of the District event in a different capacity as the emcee – something she has never done before.
“My AVID teacher recommended I apply for this program because it’d not only look good on my resume, but it’s also great experience and an opportunity to learn more about myself and the district. I’m in the business/marketing program at school, so this is also another opportunity for me to get experience in marketing and social media,” Hearne says.
Through the Student Influencer program, we will create a network of district Influencers who will one day return home to continue paying it forward to the next generation of students.
This innovative program develops the next generation of multi-faceted Marketing and Communications professionals, showing students the power of their “influence”, and how it can be used to positively impact their school, their community, and our greater Irving ISD community. As the program demonstrates, influence expands far beyond simply what the audience sees on social media. It is how they choose to use their voice to share not only their story, but ultimately the District’s, as they are our “why”.
This story is courtesy of Irving ISD
