Social Proof:
The Alumni Advocacy Engine (CareerFoundry)
Bridging the credibility gap in a skeptical market
Role: Head of Social & Content
Client: CareerFoundry (Global EdTech)
Scope: Narrative Lifecycle Strategy, Creative Direction, Cross-Functional GTM
Platforms: YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Paid Media, Product Landing Pages, Email Marketing
Challenge
CareerFoundry was undergoing a total brand evolution. We needed to rebuild credibility in a high-stakes, high-investment market where users are increasingly skeptical of "career change" promises.
The Goal: To move beyond generic testimonials.
We needed a content engine that transformed graduate success stories into undeniable social proof, driving both brand trust and measurable enrollment growth.
We built a global content system that transformed graduate success stories into CareerFoundry’s most powerful acquisition tool, driving a 120% surge in engagement and establishing a new standard for brand trust during a major company rebrand.
Behind the scenes with my social & content team capturing inspiring alumni stories in NYC.
The Strategy: From Testimonials to Stories
To turn "alumni stories" into a primary growth lever, we built a global content system that met potential students through their career change journey.
The "Proof of Concept" Tour: My team and I pitched and led a cinematic production sprint in NYC to capture high-aspiration narratives. We moved away from the corporate "talking head" interview style toward a cinematic, documentary aesthetic that bridged the gap between student and industry pro, with New York City as the backdrop.
Full-Funnel Integration: These stories weren't treated as one-off social posts. I collaborated with Product, SEO, Editorial, Performance and Sales teams to embed these narratives into the website and email nurture flows, ensuring high-intent users saw "social proof" the moment they considered walking away.
The Atomization System: I developed a production framework to turn a single shoot into a suite of 50+ assets, ranging from deep-dive YouTube reviews to "snackable" TikTok hooks and LinkedIn thought-leadership.
The Execution: Leading the Creative Engine
As the Head of Social & Content, I owned the transition from a "product-focused" brand to a "lifestyle-authoritative" brand.
Narrative Stewardship: I led the campaign from the initial pitch to the final rollout, ensuring every piece of content felt authentic to the new "CareerFoundry" identity: sophisticated, human, and tech-forward.
Community-Led Authority: We launched the ‘UX Experts Answer’ series. By sourcing real questions from our community and having alumni answer them, we turned "marketing" into a "peer-to-peer resource." This shifted the brand voice from "Salesperson" to "Mentor."
Operational Scale: I orchestrated the collaboration between video production, editorial, and design, keeping a high-volume content slate on track during a complex company-wide rebrand.
Campaign Highlights
The Graduate Stories
(NYC Series)
We spotlighted grads now thriving at Peloton, Microsoft, Accenture, and EY. By capturing their environments – from Brooklyn studios to Manhattan offices – we made the "dream job" feel tangible.
Check out some of the content below, or click here to watch the series on YouTube.
From Runway to User Flows: Meet Cici Yang
Cici swapped fashion week for Figma — and never looked back. After years in NYC’s fast-paced fashion scene, she made a bold pivot into tech. Now, thanks to CareerFoundry’s UX Design program, she’s designing better healthcare experiences at Transcarent. Proof that a dream job pivot is always in style.
Sheridan Baker: From Fundraising to Figma
Sheridan swapped donor decks for design systems and made it look effortless. From NYU Stern to EY Design Studio, Sheridan made a bold leap from fundraising into UX with CareerFoundry as her launchpad. Now she’s designing for impact in NYC and sharing the advice she wishes she had when she started.
Bridget Wu: From Fashion to UX at Accenture
Bridget left NYC’s fashion scene to redesign her career – and her life. With the help of CareerFoundry’s UX Design program and dual mentorship model, she’s now thriving as a Senior UX Analyst at Accenture.
Jonathan Boehr: Designing a Career — and a Life — That Fits
Stuck in a job that didn’t click, Jonathan hit reset. Now he’s thriving as a Product Researcher and mentor in NYC. He shares his journey into UX design, how he found balance in the city that never sleeps, and the advice he gives every aspiring career-changer.
Lauren Stapleton: UX Design, Balance, and Boss Moves
Lauren flipped the script, landing her dream UX role in NYC while mastering work-life balance. With CareerFoundry’s guidance and killer mentorship, she turned ambition into action and found fulfillment on her own terms. Watch the full series here.
The ‘UX Experts Answer’ Series
We turned ‘career change anxiety’ into an educational content engine. Instead of a FAQ page, we created a video series where alumni tackled the "future of AI" and "best tools," positioning CareerFoundry as the bridge to industry-ready expertise.
Episode 1: Best UX Tools Unveiled!
What’s the one UX tool every designer swears by? We asked NYC’s UX experts to reveal their go-to weapon in the design toolkit!
Episode 2: Don’t Believe in UX Trends…
What UX trends are worth mastering? UX pros cut through the noise to highlight the one design trend you can’t afford to ignore. Whether you’re a trendsetter or trend skeptic, this episode will sharpen your design radar.
Episode 3: How Will AI Impact UX Design?
What’s the future of UX design in an AI-driven world? If you want to stay ahead of the curve and understand how tech will reshape your role, this episode is a must-watch.
Episode 4: The UX Design Resource You Need!
We asked NYC’s best to share the books, sites, courses, and communities that actually move the needle.
Episode 5: Top UX Design Companies…
Curious who’s leading the pack in UX innovation? We spotlight brands that nail seamless, intuitive user experiences that users swear by.
Binge the whole series. Real talk, real grads. Click here.
Results
By treating our alumni as protagonists, we turned "social proof" into the highest-converting asset in the marketing funnel.
🔥 120% Surge in Engagement: Proving that story-led marketing out-performs traditional sales content.
📈 $2M+ Revenue Engine: These stories became the primary driver for high-value enrollments across the marketing lifecycle.
👥 20,000+ New Followers: Significant growth across YouTube and Instagram driven by value-first, peer-led content.
📩 Evergreen ROI: Created a library of trust-signals that still powers the brand’s website, email sequences, and YouTube strategy today.