Juliana Coates is in Cooper Library just about every day. Usually seated on the fifth floor near Starbucks, most people would probably think she’s studying or completing homework. She is really creating content and coming up with strategies on how best to communicate about everything that the Libraries has to offer to her fellow students.
Coates is in her third semester as a marketing and communications UPIC intern for Clemson Libraries. She is the hidden face behind the Libraries’ social media presence (primarily Instagram), helping increase awareness about the Libraries’ resources, services and events, as well as hoping to create a “viral” piece of content or two that will help get students engaged with the Libraries.
A communication and political science double major from Campobello, Coates comes from a Clemson family — both of her parents graduated from Clemson. However, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to go to Clemson herself when she was making her college decision.
“I didn’t want to just blindly follow where they went just because my parents went here,” she said. “I really gave a whole bunch of other schools a shot, but I kept meeting people that connected me back to Clemson … When I went on tours, I met tour guides that had the exact same story as me. Those things kept happening over and over, so when I got to spring of my senior year, I thought, ‘OK, sounds like Clemson is where I need to be.’”
Before working for the Libraries, Coates did not have much experience with content creation, graphic design, or social media strategy. She has been able to get all of that through her internship with the Libraries, and she has been given a lot of flexibility and creative freedom to try new things on the Libraries’ social media accounts. She was even able to serve as on-camera talent for a video tour of Cooper Library on the University’s YouTube channel.
“I’ve had a lot of freedom and flexibility to make it my own, which I have really appreciated,” she said. “It has helped me get my hands in a lot of different areas that will translate into any job that I might have in the future.”
In addition to working for the Libraries, Coates is also a marketing and fan experience intern for Clemson Athletics, helping make sporting events fun for Tiger fans through giveaways, special events, in-game promotions and other aspects of game days in all sports.
“We’re doing pretty much everything except for actually playing the game,” she said. “We’re kind of the Disney cast members of sporting events, working behind the scenes to make the fan experience memorable.”
Coates hopes that her the experience she is getting through her internships will help lead her to a job in public relations or communication after graduation, but she is really hoping to use her communication degree to be of service to others in some way.
Coates discovered her passion for service through her membership in FCA. Through FCA, she has taken two service trips — to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh — where she worked with a homeless recovery shelter and an organization to combat human trafficking. She plans to travel to Jacksonville with FCA this spring break for another service trip. Over Thanksgiving break this past fall, she traveled to Guatemala with Clayton King Ministries in Anderson where she worked on construction projects and taught English.
“Going into Clemson, I had a more narrow view of the world, living only with myself in mind,” she said. “Getting involved with FCA and having so many service opportunities showed me the joy of the Lord and how much joy and fulfillment can be found by opening your eyes to see the other people around you and finding ways to help with their needs and serving them. I want to be able to carry that forward into my career and into the rest of my life.”
Coates previously worked as a writer and editor for The Tiger student newspaper, and she is a member of the club tennis team and Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society. She is active with LifePoint Church in Seneca where she participates in the MentorU program.
