As a member of the Education Justice Project’s (EJP) Social Media Team, Natalie Cline (Advertising, Class of 2025) has gained hands-on experience and worked for an organization whose mission she believes in. In the two years since she started, Natalie has helped nearly double the number of followers on EJP’s social media platforms. EJP has benefitted from her media savvy and motivation.   

In her freshman year, Natalie took a class called “Social Media for Social Justice,” taught by Carrie Wilson Brown, a lecturer in advertising, who recommended her to EJP. After applying for the position, and going through the interview process, Natalie got the job. A Social Media Team was being assembled for the first time, and Natalie got a chance to scale up our EJP’s presence online.  

When she got started with EJP, Natalie didn’t know much about prison education or the issue of mass incarceration. “I really wasn’t super familiar with it at all,” she said. “I really hadn’t been personally affected by it.” She didn’t know anyone who had been to prison, “not anyone that’s close to me.” At EJP events, she got to meet formerly incarcerated people. “That’s been really nice,” she said.  

Over the last two years at EJP, Natalie has learned about the great injustice of putting people in cages for decades. “I feel like I’ve learned that it’s a big problem,” she said. “It feels really good to be able to be involved with an organization that is focusing on a greater goal, for equality in the world overall.”  

Working with other members of EJP’s Social Media Team, which over her tenure have included Sameer Sanadi, Eli Sperry, Maria Jose Tejero, Liv Carter, and Rhea Hechanova, Natalie has learned how to collaborate with others and delegate responsibilities. She regularly reports the analytics from our social media accounts.  

Natalie plans to graduate in May 2025 with a major in Advertising and a minor in Business (she was able to finish her degree in three years because she had come with college credits she earned while in high school). She is starting to look for summer internships to gain experience. She hopes to be able to work for an advertising agency in Chicago.  

We are grateful for the energy and insight Natalie has brought to EJP!

You can follow EJP on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  

Above is a photo of Natalie Cline (pictured on the left) with other members EJP’s Social Media Team, Sameer Sanadi and Eli Sperry, at the U of I President’s House celebrating EJP’s 15-year anniversary.