Olivia Reeves won gold in weightlifting at the 2024 Paris Olympics while she was an undergraduate student at UTC.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Division of Communications and Marketing has earned a gold award in the 2025 Circle of Excellence competition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
The award recognized a UTC social media campaign celebrating student and Olympic gold medalist Olivia Reeves. Social Media Director Laura Bond and Social Media Specialist Kaylah Santos created and ran the campaign, which documented Reeves’ gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the celebrations that followed on campus and in the community.
Their efforts included an Instagram takeover, a behind-the-scenes reel from Paris, live updates from Reeves’ homecoming events and branded posts. A collaboration with NBC Olympics attracted 1.3 million viewers and a viral moment with Snoop Dogg extended the campaign’s national visibility.
The campaign reached 406,400 unique users on Instagram and Facebook, generated more than 211,600 impressions and totaled more than 1.6 million views on Instagram Reels.
“Innovative techniques, massive impact, zero outsourcing … bravo,” judges noted. “A creative, cost-effective way to use a historic moment to celebrate a campus community member, increase institutional visibility and pride, and have fun. We applaud the team’s ability to hop in and take advantage of unexpected opportunities.”
Bond, who has worked at the University for 13 years, called the award a full-circle moment.
“Social media work often happens behind the scenes, so to be honored by CASE and recognized by others in this field feels really meaningful,” said Bond, a two-time UTC alum. “I launched UTC’s social media presence years ago, so to see it grow into something that’s now nationally recognized is incredibly rewarding.”
She said the impact of the campaign went beyond metrics.
“One of the most powerful moments for me was seeing the community come together,” she said. “Watching students, faculty and families line the streets for Olivia’s homecoming parade gave me goosebumps.
“Winning a CASE Gold for this campaign means the world to us. We met Olivia just a few weeks before she headed to Paris, and from the very beginning, we knew she was something special.”
Teams from 640 institutions representing 33 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,460 entries. The 93 award categories span all advancement disciplines, including magazines and publications, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, special events, marketing, leadership and video.
“The Circle of Excellence Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary creativity, passion and innovation demonstrated by advancement professionals at institutions around the world,” said Sue Cunningham, CASE president and CEO. “These awards not only celebrate outstanding achievements but also underscore how essential this work is to strengthen educational communities and positively shape lives and society. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s recipients for their dedication and remarkable accomplishments.”
This year, volunteer judges from CASE’s membership selected 477 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold and grand gold recognition. Winners are chosen based on overall quality, innovation, resource utilization and the impact on the institution or its communities, including alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff.
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UTC’s Olivia Reeves brings home the Olympic gold
Campus parade celebrates UTC student and Olympic gold medalist Olivia Reeves
