In October 2020, sophomore communication studies (CMST) student Clare Sykes was busy running her Instagram blog, @retrohippies, and was just starting to get involved within the CMST program.
A year and a half later, Sykes is still blogging to an audience of over 100,000 followers and has recently turned the Instagram page into a website. In addition, she is running the CMST Instagram account, @kleincollegecommstudies; interning at Pals Socks and is looking for more ways to get involved on campus. We recently talked to Sykes to catch up on everything she has been up to.
What are you up to these days?
Yeah, so, basically, a couple days into the New Year, I had gotten an email. I went on LinkedIn and I found the advertisement for Pals’ position for the social media intern. So, I applied and a couple of days later, Hannah, the creator of Pals, had reached out and wanted to talk to me. She interviewed me and right away, she offered me the position. She asked me when I could start in the interview and I literally said, like, the next day, whenever she needed me. So, we met a couple times over Zoom because it’s a remote thing, and she just gave me some tasks and I jumped right into it.
It’s kind of like things I’ve done in the past. I [also] run the Instagram for the communication studies major. So, I basically am making content calendars, coming up with ideas for posts, and just like managing analytics, seeing how different things play out.
How did you find your way there?
So, I do have a lot on my plate in terms of, I run my own blog, I work social media for REFINE at Temple, but I also wanted some, like, kind of more real workforce experience working, like, under a boss, rather than just a volunteer position and getting to see what it’s like in a more [professional] setting rather than a club or a volunteer setting.
What was your freshman year like for you?
Well, we were all online, and that gave me, like, a lot of, I guess, extra time to start working on some more career and professional development, like running my blog. But, now that we’ve been in person and I get to do that more face-to-face, it’s just been so exciting, and I really do reflect on last year positively.
I just created a website for [Retro Hippies], like, a couple weeks ago, because I want to do some more in-depth writing. I also expanded onto TikTok, and I have a Twitter, but that’s more for fun.
Basically, anything from the 60s and 70s that you could think of is on it. I love music, that’s like my biggest passion. Along with that, I’ve grown to love fashion and history and makeup and culture and all those things. And, of course, just the overall mindset and positivity and social change of the 60s and 70s.
What has made you want to share your passions on social media?
Well, I love, like, surrounding myself with things that interest me, and that makes me happy, so it’s kind of like one big mood board in one place [where] I can put everything that I love together. I love social media and I love all the things 60s and 70s, so I combine that. It just helps that everyone else seems to love it, too. And I get to share my positivity with them and I get such great feedback of people being like, “keep the posts coming,” “I love this content,” “you make my feed so much brighter,” and I love to hear that stuff.
Last year you had over 100,000 followers. What’s that looking like now?
It’s been a little rocky. Um, the algorithm, I’ve learned, is not the best friend for people who have a lot of followers, so I’ve gone up and down. There’s really nothing you can do about it, the algorithm kind of rules all, so I’ve increased by a couple thousand and at the bottom of the line, like, numbers don’t matter that much to me. I just want to make people happy and spread positivity.
How has Klein supported your drive to seek out opportunities?
My blog was a thing before I got to college, but just seeing, like, the amount of support once I got there, like, in Comm 1111 which was like the first, like, major class I took with Dr. Gratson, like, he always pushes us to brag about ourselves in the best way and, like, network and put our names out there. And just, like, Klein Career Services helping us with networking and professional development. And also, just you guys featuring me, and REFINE has featured me in their magazine before. I work there and it's just such a, like, supportive community at Temple, especially in Klein. Everyone’s here to raise each other up and get our names out there for each other.
Are you involved in anything else?
I’m looking to join some other clubs, to see if there’s anything, like, in person, I can go to. At REFINE, I’m the assistant social media director, so I work alongside the head of it, and we come up with posts based off of, like, how often REFINE’s writing and we do, like, planned out content and captions and all that stuff.
And then for Klein, I lead the whole team. So, I have a team of over 20 students, and together, I put out a content calendar. It’s mostly them doing the posting but I really like to come up with, like, creative things. Even though it’s communication studies, really, it’s for anyone who wants to see it. We post great opportunities for internships or scholarships or just around campus.
What is next for you?
Just, you know, getting on top of everything now that I feel like I’m even more in a professional direction. I like making time for myself and my career. I’d love to continue social media, personally and professionally, down the road. I’ll see. Hopefully this internship is just another thing that can help, you know, educate me on working with social media and give me the steps I need to take that forward for hopefully a career in the next few years and after college.