Working On Campus:
A Week in The Life of A Strategic Communications Assistant
at DePaul University
My weekly schedule is a mix of work, school, and homework—all conveniently on campus!
As a Strategic Communications Assistant on DePaul’s Communications team, I work with the department responsible for official university messaging through our channel called “Newsline”—whether it’s announcements from the President, campus news, international updates, or special features on the faces of DePaul.
Our team includes student media assistants for photography and video, as well as specialists in internal communications, strategic communications, and media relations.
Curious about what my work looks like? Read on for a “Week in the Life” through my lens!
MONDAY CHECK-IN
I start my week by taking the train to DePaul’s Loop campus with a cup of coffee in hand. That first commute sets the tone for the week, so I always try to sleep well, eat well, and be prepared for Monday mornings.
Once at the office, my Mondays are a bit fragmented. I work for an hour, head to class, and then return to work for another block of hours—my calendar looks like a game of Tetris!
My manager, Mary Hansen, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, is my direct report for all assignments. On Monday mornings, we do a quick briefing to review any lingering tasks from the previous week and discuss new assignments. The work we publish in this department appears on NEWSLINE, DePaul’s hub for news and updates. Articles cover everything from faculty highlights and alumni achievements to event coverage happening around campus.
When an assignment is proposed—whether it’s a story or an event we want to cover—our team divides the work among writers, editors, and media students who handle photography and video.
I’ve been working on writing, photography, and video while also implementing strategies for how we share the same content on social media.
TUESDAY – CONTENT POSTING & SCHEDULING
Tuesdays are when the work from Monday’s check-in gets posted on social media and the NEWSLINE website. This is my main workday for editing, scheduling, and strategy.
For editing, I get a list of the articles our department is publishing and create social media versions of those stories (like in the picture). When I first started, I reworked an existing template and followed DePaul’s brand guidelines to develop an easy system for generating weekly posts.
For scheduling, we maintain a consistent weekly posting pace while staying flexible for new opportunities. If something timely has strong engagement potential, we prioritize that over pre-scheduled content. Our office uses Hootsuite, a social media management tool, to determine the best posting times. From there, we either schedule posts in advance or have a designated manager publish them.
We also use a project management platform called Monday to track assignments and accountability. It’s always satisfying to switch an assignment’s status to DONE!
WEDNESDAY
My Wednesday is highly calculated, and planning it out while enrolling in the Winter quarter was surprisingly satisfying. Since student workers can only work a maximum of 25 hours per week, making an efficient schedule is key! I wasn’t lying when I said it looked like Tetris.
Because I only have two work blocks on Wednesdays, this is typically the day I sit in on a content meeting with the communications team or a social media meeting with the marketing team.
Curious about who does what? Whenever you see an official university communication from the president or articles highlighting professors, alumni, or peers, the communications team ensures it reaches DePaul and its partners. When you see content on @DePaulU or @DePaul_News, the marketing team is responsible for producing and optimizing the most engaging social media content.
THURSDAY
By this point in the week, I’m already looking ahead to the next. Thursdays are perfect for locking in and tackling video or photo editing—especially if I have assignments due the following week. I love wrapping up my work and school week this way because my schedule is packed: 9 AM – 3 PM workday, class, a gap, and then Film Philosophy at 6 PM in Lincoln Park.
Humble brag: I’m incredibly grateful to work here because I have access to a fully stocked studio with every piece of equipment I could ever need—lighting, cameras, microphones, lenses, and more. Whenever student workers on my team are assigned a project, we can use anything in the studio to get it done. Personally, I love borrowing the headphones to edit Instagram Reels.
Once my major assignments are wrapped up, I can head to Management class, study a bit on break and finish the week off with Film Philosophy!
Never heard of “Newsline” before? You’re not alone! Our team is working hard to make sure more students and prospective students know about Newsline—DePaul’s go-to source for campus updates and stories. If you’re a DePaul student, check out Newsline by clicking the link below or follow us on Instagram for the latest updates! @DePaul_News
Visit DePaul’s Newsline
Marco Garcia | IG: AstroTheProtege | First-Generation Latino Digital Marketing Student