Case study 02 · Video + visual
A self-directed video and visual storytelling series brought audiences into the places where mining students learn, connecting experiential education, emerging technology, recruitment, and research reputation.
Featured work
Concept, field reporting, interviews, shooting, editing, production, and publication by Tonia Moxley.
View on Virginia Tech NewsMining engineering can feel abstract, or be reduced to outdated assumptions, until audiences see its scale, technology, safety culture, environmental questions, and career paths. Prospective students needed a concrete sense of the discipline and the experience.
Build a visual series around access. Instead of explaining experiential learning from a distance, follow students underground, into field settings, and alongside faculty. Pair the immediacy of video with reported stories that connect the experience to research, sustainability, and industry needs.
I developed the story concepts, coordinated access and schedules, conducted interviews, shot and edited the footage, produced the finished pieces, and published them for department and College of Engineering channels. The work was designed as both recruitment content and durable reputation evidence.
The series combined student experience with technical context: underground operations and safety, critical minerals and sustainable extraction, emerging autonomous technologies, and a transdisciplinary course recognized through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
This recruitment case study shows how I translate engineering education, research, field experience, and student perspective into accessible multimedia storytelling. The work connects technical discovery to prospective student and external audiences while supporting enrollment, reputation, and broader department visibility.
The featured video reached 10,817 documented views. A contemporaneous College of Engineering message identified it as the channel's first video to reach 10,000 views. The milestone is presented as documented at the time, not as a current channel ranking.
Extended story system
