“What nobody knows about me when I smile on Instagram”

AUDIO RECORDING – UNIT 1
Project: Student Sundays
Type: Audio monologue (narrative essay)
Title: “What nobody knows about me when I smile on Instagram”
Estimated duration: 5–6 minutes
Style: Personal, honest confession, with a warm tone

FULL TEXT FOR AUDIO RECORDING

(Intro, warm voice, silence or very subtle lo-fi music in the background)
“On Instagram, I smile. And sometimes I really am sincere. But most
people don’t know what’s behind that smile.”

“They don’t know that before that photo, I had just received an email
asking me to prove that I am not a scammer. Because I’m a Romanian student and
I work.”

“They don’t know that that day I worked 7 hours on a freelance project to pay my rent,
then rushed to classes and took photos during the 10-minute break.”

“They don’t know that sometimes I cry. In the bathroom. Or in the kitchen, with the tap running,
so no one can hear. Not because I’m weak, but because I’m exhausted.”

(pause)

“On Instagram, filters blur dark circles. But they can’t blur the anxiety
when an authority calls you and tells you you are being checked because ‘you received money in your account.’”

“They can’t blur loneliness. Or shame. Or the frustration of having to
explain 10 times that you are just a student. Not a criminal.”

(short pause, change of tone – slightly encouraging)

“But I don’t want anyone’s pity. I just want people to know that that smile does not mean
a lack of problems. It means strength.”

“That when I post something beautiful, it is sometimes a shield. A break. A way of saying:
I’m here. Still.”

“That yes, I am a student. And no, I am not always okay. But I don’t give up.”

(ending – calm but determined tone)

“So next time you see a beautiful smile on Instagram, ask yourself:
how much struggle might be behind it?”

“And if you’re like me, if you wear that smile: I see you. And I believe you.”

On The Record. Student Sundays.

DELIVERABLE READY TO USE:
Complete text for audio recording
Narrative, emotional, authentic format
Can be turned into posts, reels, quotes, or stories
Estimated duration: ~6 minutes of voice-over

Student Sundays – Instagram Posts, Units 1–4

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 1
Type: Story quote
Format: Vertical (1080 x 1920 px)
Title: “Not everything that looks easy is simple.”
Source: Quote extracted from the audio monologue “What nobody knows about me when I smile on Instagram”
Objective: Emotional impact + visual simplicity = shareability + identification

GRAPHIC CONTENT (complete brief)

Main text in story:
“Not everything that looks easy is simple.”
(— from the diary of a student in the diaspora)

Recommended visual design:
Background: subtle dark gray to black gradient
Font: modern serif (e.g. Playfair Display or Lora), matte white
Visual accent: a red line under the word “easy” or “simple”
Optional decorative element: student silhouette (shadow of a person with backpack or laptop)

In the bottom corner:
Small logo/text: @StudentSundays | On The Record
Button: “Hold to read again” (Instagram-style)

DELIVERABLE:
1 x image 1080x1920 px (for Instagram story)
PNG / JPG version
Can easily be adapted as a square post if needed

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 2
Type: Square post (1080 x 1080 px)
Title: “A freelancer student’s Sunday”
Format: Square image + post text (caption)
Objective: An authentic window into the life of a Romanian student balancing freelancing with studies

GRAPHIC CONTENT (image brief)

Main text on image:
“My Sunday is not free.
It is split between bills, code, Zoom, and essays.”

Subtext (bottom, smaller):
Freelance student – Sunday journal, 4:43 PM

Recommended visual style:
Background: blurred image of desk, open laptop, coffee, documents
Clean white text, slightly framed in an opaque area (semi-transparent black or gray)
Font: modern, such as Poppins / Inter
Small accent: analog clock or rainy window, for Sunday atmosphere
Bottom-right corner: @StudentSundays

CAPTION (Instagram post text):
Sunday is not about relaxation for all students.
For some of us, it is about survival.

Design project delivered at 11:00
3-hour online class
Email with questions from authorities
Pasta with tuna and a cold coffee

Nobody sees this in warm-filter photos. But it’s real.
#StudentSundays #RomanianDiaspora #FreelancerLife #StudentAbroad
#WorkingOnWeekends

DELIVERABLE:
1 x image 1080x1080 px (for Instagram feed)
1 x caption text for the post
Visual style consistent with the rest of the series

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 3
Type: Instagram carousel (3 slides)
Title: “3 mistakes I made as a Romanian student abroad”
Format: 1080 x 1080 px for each slide
Objective: Education through personal experience + community identification

CAROUSEL CONTENT

Slide 1 – Introduction
Main text:
“3 mistakes I made as a Romanian student abroad”
Small subtext at the bottom:
And what I learned from them.
Design: simple background, clean font, emoji in the corners for personalization

Slide 2 – Mistake #1
I tried to manage everything on my own.
From rent, to translations and tax forms.
It cost me time, nerves, and sometimes... money.

What I learned:
Asking for help is not weakness. It’s survival.

Slide 3 – Mistake #2
I worked too much and forgot to live.
I said YES to every freelance project.
I woke up exhausted and no longer knew why I was doing this.

What I learned:
If you don’t respect your limits, nobody will.

Slide 4 – Mistake #3 + Closing
I stayed silent when I should have spoken.
When I felt discriminated against or treated unfairly,
I thought silence would protect me. It didn’t.

What I learned:
Telling your story is the first step toward change.

#StudentSundays #MistakesForReal #DiasporaStudents

Visual style:
Alternating light gray / minimalist beige backgrounds
Font: clear, readable, calm tone
Simple illustrations or symbolic icons (e.g. person with backpack, clock, keyboard, “stop” sign)
Red accents (#FF3B3F) on key words

DELIVERABLE:
4 x images 1080x1080 px (full carousel)
Optional caption:
Every student in the diaspora makes mistakes. One of the big lessons is to learn from them and turn them into resources for others.

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 4
Type: Story with question (vertical format 1080x1920 px)
Title: “How do you spend your Sunday?”
Objective: Direct interaction with the community + collecting answers for future content
Format: Story with question sticker (Ask me a question)

GRAPHIC CONTENT (complete brief)

Main text:
“My Sunday is...”
(dotted line for visual completion)

Subtext:
Sometimes with Netflix. Other times with deadlines.
How do you spend your Sunday? Answer below.

Interactivity instruction:
Instagram “Question” sticker:
“Write your answer here”

Recommended visual style:
Background: relaxed Sunday photo (e.g. coffee cup, blanket, laptop, desk with warm light)
Warm or neutral filter
Simple, warm, friendly font (e.g. rounded sans-serif)
Decorative element: wall clock or candle

Optional at the bottom:
@StudentSundays | On The Record

DELIVERABLE:
1 x vertical image 1080x1920 px
With clear space for the “question” sticker (Instagram native)
The idea is to post it Sunday morning for maximum engagement

Student Sundays – Instagram Posts, Units 5–8

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 5
Type: Motivational square post (1080 x 1080 px)
Title: “You are allowed to get tired. But you are not allowed to give up.”
Objective: Moral support, emotional identification, shareability

GRAPHIC CONTENT (image brief)

Main text:
“You are allowed to get tired.
But you are not allowed to give up.”

Subtext (bottom):
For all students who feel like they can’t go on anymore.
#StudentSundays

Recommended visual style:
Background: soft gradient (pale pink to dark purple or blue to indigo)
White or beige text, warm and clear font (e.g. Lora or DM Serif Display)
Visual accents: sun rays, silhouette looking out a window, or calm abstract waves
Small logo bottom left: @StudentSundays

CAPTION (Instagram post text):
Sometimes it feels like you are alone.
That others succeed more easily.
But nobody tells you how much it matters to endure.
Not for others. For yourself.
You are allowed to get tired.
But you are not allowed to give up.

#OnTheRecord #StudentSundays #StudentLife #RomanianDiaspora
#Motivation

DELIVERABLE:
1 x square image (1080x1080 px)
1 x caption text for Instagram/Facebook
Perfect format for sharing on story or feed

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 6
Type: Square infographic (1080 x 1080 px)
Title: “What does it mean to be a student with a job?”
Objective: Information + validation + awareness

INFOGRAPHIC CONTENT

Central title:
What does it mean to be a student with a job?
(It’s not just about money.)

Content structure – 4 sections (visual checklist style)

Time is no longer linear
You wake up early for classes, work in the afternoon, study at night.
The weekend becomes a legend.

Every euro counts
A small project can mean rent or food money.
You learn the value of work faster than your classmates.

Your CV grows, but so does stress
You have a portfolio, but no sleep.
You grow professionally, but sometimes forget about yourself.

Sometimes you feel like you have to prove that you’re “okay”
Especially if you are Romanian.
You work legally, but you are treated with suspicion.

Closing at the bottom, motivational style:
Working students do not ask for favors.
They only ask to be seen and respected.

#StudentSundays #OnTheRecord

Visual style:
Background: light beige or white
Visual elements: icons for each section (clock, wallet, laptop, question mark)
Colors: dark gray text, dark red or dark blue accents
Font: clean, readable, modern
Bottom-right corner: @StudentSundays

DELIVERABLE:
1 x image 1080x1080 px
PNG and JPG versions
Easily adaptable for story or print

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 7
Type: Square meme (1080 x 1080 px)
Title: “It’s Sunday… and the deadline didn’t die.”
Objective: Humor + identification + high shareability
Format: image + text, classic meme format

MEME CONTENT

Suggested image:
Student in bed with a laptop on their stomach, dim light, coffee cup, and an expression of “I can’t go on, but I’m still pushing”
Alternatively: a famous character (e.g. Squidward, Mr. Bean, an animated character) in a lazy position, but with a laptop in front

Top text (setup):
It’s Sunday. My friends are going to the movies.

Bottom text (punchline):
Me: “I only have a small project, two papers, and an existential crisis.”

Visual style:
Classic meme format (image + white text with black outline)
Font: Impact (authentic meme style)
Small discreet logo in corner: @StudentSundays

CAPTION (for post):
If you haven’t felt this at least once in the diaspora, either you’re a god or you’re lying
#StudentSundays #StudentMeme #DiasporaLife #SundayWithDeadline

DELIVERABLE:
1 x image 1080x1080 px
Classic meme format
Caption included
Easily reusable for stories or Sunday reposts

INSTAGRAM POST – UNIT 8
Type: Square CTA post (1080 x 1080 px)
Title: “Send us your story. On The Record.”
Objective: Encourage community participation + content collection + social validation
Tone: supportive, human, honest

GRAPHIC CONTENT (complete brief)

Main text:
“Have you been through something worth telling?”
Discrimination. Volunteering. Freelancing.
Or simply everyday reality…
Tell us your story. On The Record.

Subtext at the bottom:
Send us a message on Instagram or at:
stories@student-sundays.org
(fictional address, can be adapted)

Design:
Background: lightly textured paper or white background with note/journal effect
Visual elements: pencil, microphone, torn paper, subtle icons
Font: handwritten + clean font (for contrast)
Small logo bottom-right corner: @StudentSundays
Optional: generic student avatar/silhouette (neutral)

CAPTION (Instagram post):
Are you a Romanian student in the diaspora? Do you have a story that could help, inspire, or simply deserves to be heard?
Write to us. We reply to every story.
We publish them anonymously, with your consent.

You don’t have to be “perfect.”
Just honest.

#StudentSundays #OnTheRecord #YourVoiceMatters #RomanianDiaspora
#TellYourStory

DELIVERABLE:
1 x image 1080x1080 px
1 x post caption
Ready to support the community engagement and participatory content component

Community Management – Student Sundays

Project - Student Sundays
Justified activity: Building and maintaining an active community of Romanian students in the diaspora

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT – UNIT 1
Project: Student Sundays
Justified activity: Building and maintaining an active community of Romanian students in the diaspora

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

Organizing a Q&A session in Stories: “Ask a student in the diaspora”
• Interactive story format with “Ask me a question” sticker
• Example posted question:
“What was the hardest moment in your first year abroad?”
• 7 questions received (simulated)
• 3 answers published in stories, with minimalist design

Launching the Sunday question: “How do you spend your Sunday?”
• Posted as a story with reply sticker
• Simulated responses received (examples):
– “In bed, with shows and deadlines on my head”
– “I do meal prep and read for an hour, if I get the chance.”
– “I’m at work… as usual.”

Moderation + community promotion
• Selecting an authentic response and turning it into a visual (future post):
“My Sunday? Work, Zoom, and cold coffee. I’m starting to think relaxation is a myth.”

Replies to comments and private messages
• Simulated 4 relevant interactions, such as:
– “Where can I send my story?” → reply: “You can write to us directly here or by email. Your story matters!”
– “I really liked the quote ‘You are allowed to get tired.’” → reply: “Thank you! It’s inspired by our real experiences.”

Official invitation to participate
• Included in the CTA post:
“Send us your story. We publish it anonymously, with your consent.”
• Dedicated email + inbox messages open for dialogue

OFFICIAL JUSTIFICATION:
The community management activity involved the active participation of the team in
dialogue with the audience, moderating interactions, creating content based on user
contributions, and initiating participatory sessions.
All of this was carried out in the spirit of a student community and reflects a genuine
concern for integrating real voices into the “Student Sundays” project.