Communications and Outreach at the Shi Institute

Actually, my job… it’s just Canva. Okay there’s more to it, but that’s probably how Ken from the Barbie movie would describe it. My name is Riya Lala, and this summer I am working with the Shi Institute as the Communications and Outreach Fellow. I am a rising junior majoring in Marketing with a minor in Visual Strategy. I was drawn to this position because it highlights two things that excite me: marketing and sustainability. With this role, I’m learning how to maintain an organization’s brand image and bring traffic to our social media platforms. Working with Shi is special because I get to market an institute that does a lot of good through education, research, and the provision of opportunities for students.

As the Communications and Outreach Fellow, my responsibilities have so far included: managing socials, creating and editing content, brainstorming and planning campaigns, tabling at Summer Orientation, and designing promotional materials. As previously mentioned, a lot of my workday is spent on Canva (shout out to Furman for the Canva pro account). My workday at Shi never really feels like work. Whether it’s going on a back-of-house tour of the Dining Hall or getting fresh kale, snow peas, and blueberries from the Furman farm, this role comes with a lot of perks.

I began my fellowship by tabling during Summer Orientation. Tabling is one of my favorite “college core” activities because of how interactive it is. Nabila Wilson ‘27, the Industry GHG Fellow, and I got to represent Shi and meet many of the incoming freshmen. We didn’t find boasting about all the really cool programs that Shi has to offer to be particularly difficult. Talking to the freshmen and getting them excited about their time at Furman made me realize how much I wish I had discovered how to get involved with Shi earlier in my college career.

Another responsibility from my role that I would like to highlight is being a part of the design team for an addition to the Greenville Connects website. This team consisted of my fellow fellows: Tanya Masvimbo ‘26, Vanessa Amasi ‘26, and Aru Sakhariyanova ‘26. Tanya and Vanessa are working on a project for Greenville Connects to highlight the importance of public transportation in Greenville. Aru and I assisted them in designing icons and layouts for the project.

One of the projects I am currently working on involves the infamous Mr. Jim Benes, Furman’s Custodial Manager. Mr. Jim visited the Shi building the other day for a photoshoot. These photos are for a new sticker I am designing, so be sure to stay tuned for that. You can find a sneak peak of what’s to come on our Fourth of July Instagram post!

I have a few other ideas that I plan to work on and execute throughout my time in this position.

If you want to follow along with my work and keep up to date with the Shi Institute, follow our Instagram @shi_institute_furman. (It’ll make me look good!)