Senior wins move-in madness competition

By Ryan, October 1, 2015

By Holly Gambrell, Staff Writer//

On Sept. 7, High Point University senior Rachel Warrick was announced the winner of the Move-In Madness competition. Rachel had received the most Facebook likes on a photo of her dorm room in a week-long social media contest which had over 70 student participants.
The contest was held by HPU and was promoted through the university’s social media accounts. Students were asked to submit photos of their dorm rooms to showcase the way they were decorated.
The Move-In Madness competition was fan-based. No judges were involved in picking the winner, but the amount of likes a photo received determined the competition’s outcome.
Warrick said she won the competition from the help of her peers, friends and family members.
“My oldest brother Dave is a police officer back home in New Jersey, and he posted my dorm picture every day,” Warrick said.
By her brother sharing her photo on Facebook every day, she was able to receive more likes, especially from Dave’s coworkers.
Warrick’s photo was not the only one that was posted and shared throughout the competition. Many other students promoted their submitted photos and asked family and friends via social media to help them try to win the contest.
The Move-In Madness competition was not only fun for students, but was a marketing tool for the university. Not all of the likes on the Facebook photos were from students, and the constant sharing of the photos put HPU’s name out there, exposing multiple Facebook users to the university.
Warrick’s final prize for being the Move-In Madness winner was a photo shoot with an HPU photographer.
“My room will be pictured around campus,” Warrick said.
Warrick’s room was brightly decorated, with painted canvases, a multi-colored bed comforter, and a multitude of butterflies above her bed.
“I have always loved butterflies since I was young and have always had at least one on my wall,” Warrick said.
Even the way the butterflies are hung on her wall is special to Warrick.
“My dad has hung them for me each year and he always puts one by itself, kind of leading the group, and he will say ‘that’s you’,” Warrick said.
Every part of Warrick’s room contains meaning and importance to her.
“I have personally made everything on my walls or someone has given it to me as a gift,” Warrick said.
Warrick lives in Centennial Square I and has a room to herself.
“This was hard because it is such a big room with a ton of wall space where I had to put up so much stuff for it to feel homey,” Warrick said.
In total, Warrick decorated her room in a way that describes her.
“There really is no specific design, but I guess you could say it’s me – where I am from, what I do and what I love,” she said.