MSU Ad Creative Student, Anna Gilliam, Applies Classroom Know-how to Elevate Her Sorority’s Social Media
By: Violet Thomas
What happens when classroom lessons meet campus leadership? Junior advertising student creative, Anna Gilliam shows how academic knowledge and extracurricular involvement can create a powerful combination for students across the campus community. Through her leadership role, Gilliam leverages her advertising skills to make a meaningful impact.
Gilliam finds that blending her schoolwork with her sorority involvement came naturally. As the vice president of communications for Zeta Tau Alpha, she prepares for a future in advertising by managing branding, social media and digital outreach for her chapter.
“I wanted to get involved and take on a leadership role that tied into my major,” said Gilliam. “I’ve always been interested in social media management and branding, so getting to experience that first-hand through something as simple as our sorority’s Instagram has been really valuable.”
Turning that interest into action, Gilliam manages the chapter’s online presence by combining creativity with organization. To keep up with content, Gilliam develops a monthly content calendar that highlights upcoming events and post ideas. When inspiration is low, Gilliam uses insights from her coursework about what drives engagement on social media and applies those strategies to the chapter’s content. She also looks to other ZTA or MSU chapters for creative ideas. Popular monthly content includes member spotlights or recurring posts like “Why Zeta Wednesdays,” which showcase the sisterhood and sense of community within the sorority.
Beyond content creation, Gilliam oversees a small team by delegating tasks to members who oversee graphics, TikTok content and other social media responsibilities. The experience, she said, not only pushes her creatively but also professionally, which has paid off in interviews for advertising internships, as she often discusses the skills she has developed in her sorority role.
Gilliam’s involvement in ZTA goes beyond posting photos — it’s preparing her for the career she hopes to pursue after graduation.
“I know I want to do something related to social media or branding — something on the ad creative side,” said Gilliam. “Having this experience is something I can look back on that will really help me in my future.”
Gilliam encourages other students to pursue leadership positions in their extracurricular activities.
“I’d definitely say just go for it. A lot of people think taking on a role will be too much to handle, but it’s so worth it – you’ll grow both creatively and academically,” said Gilliam.
Gilliam continues to demonstrate that taking the lead pays dividends for the future and that success begins with taking initiative.
To learn more about Greek life at MSU, visit: Fraternity & Sorority Life | Michigan State University at https://fsl.msu.edu/.
