IU student will take over Instagram's 290-million-follower account at Final Four

Rachel Gillam's masterful social media flair as she covered Indiana University football  and basketball for the school's @IUHoosiers Instagram feed caught the attention of one mighty account: @Instagram.

The leaders behind the popular visual social media platform liked what they saw from the 21-year-old junior -- the video snippets mixed with photos mixed with quippy, catchy captions and updated scores.

And so, they made a personal, and mind blowing, invite to Gillam.

Come to the Final Four this weekend and take over our Instagram account. Show our 290 million followers the atmosphere as crazed fans descend on Minneapolis to cheer on their teams -- Texas Tech, Michigan State, Virginia and Auburn -- in college basketball's biggest celebration.

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"Is this serious?" Gillam, a West Lafayette native, remembers asking when the e-mail from Instagram came across her screen as she toiled over homework.

Indeed, it was. Will Yoder, with Instagram Sports Partnerships, was watching as Gillam created her IU posts throughout the year. He said Gillam used the various tools in her Instagram Stories exactly the way they were meant to be used.

"She was great. She was incredibly consistent," he said. "(She) focused on IU colors and IU branding, bringing (things) to life in a unique way. We wanted to see what it was like to be a student at the game."

This weekend, she will create Instagram Stories -- a feature that lets users post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours -- for its own account. She will highlight the fanfare of the Final Four on Saturday and the NCAA championship game Monday night. 

"From my end, the content I want to get to is the passion involved with the Final Four," she said, "whether it be the players, the fans, this intense desire to win."

How it happened

While majoring in marketing and social media digital analytics at IU's Kelley School of Business, Gillam learned about Instagram's Student Section. The nationwide program gives college students tools and training to improve their Instagram storytelling skills

As part of that training, universities choose students to take over their school accounts and post Instagram Stories on game days. This year, 70 colleges were part of the Student Section.

As the Final Four approached, Instagram looked at the Stories all those students had created throughout the year and needed to pick which student should take over its account for this weekend's big games.

"It is quite a process trying to pick just one," Yoder said. "She beat out hundreds."

Gillam, who plays intramural soccer at IU, leads Bible studies each week and has been involved in the honors council, said the creations allowed her passion for sports to collide with her interest in media.

She can't even explain her excitement at getting to create for Instagram on college basketball's biggest stage.

There is, however, one minor, tiny downside to this weekend. Her beloved Hoosiers won't be there.

"Going by conference, I'm going to go with Michigan State," she said. "My bracket is long gone."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via e-mail: dbenbow@indystar.com.