joelgaco

[joelgaco]

Final Update/Final Video!

Aloha everyone!

We have reached the final step of this crazy journey!

Since my last update, I have updated the following posts to finish off the social media project:

- A Throwback Friday (special!) on Protest for Voting Rights to lower the voting age to 18 & Bloody Sunday that lead to the Civil Rights Act!

- Another Throwback Thursday post on Bayard Rustin (check out his speech at March on Washington!)

- A final post on making a plan to vote!

- A thank you and what we have learned post!

I am so grateful and blessed to cover one of my true first loves! Although this marks the end of this Tumblr, this doesn’t mark the end of these accounts! Hopefully time gives me the opportunity to post more as the 2026 midterms comes along!

Thank you all!

Joel

[joelgaco]

Update #7

Hello everyone!

Here is a quick update regarding this last couple of weeks of this social media project, following covering news and recourses needed for Voting & Voting Rights in America.

What I have done since the last update, last week:

I have posted two additional posts regarding the House’s pass of the SAVE act and a post regarding Voting for College Students. If you wanna check it out, it will be below this text.

I spent the majority of my time reading through the entire SAVE ACT and reading through sources and news outlets to find out the highlights and what information needed to be mentioned in the statement. Below is a screenshot on what my phone’s Safari tab looked like when it came down to researching the SAVE Act.

As mentioned in my previous post, that I would be trying to catch up with my calendar but with the passing of the SAVE Act and what it attacks with Early Voting, Voting Registration and Voting via Mail and Voting for Disables, it was important to highlight the present rather than report on information that could of been considered not possible regarding this act.

For my next Throwback Thursday’s posts (will be a double post for this Thursday to stay on track on those specific topics), I will try and focus on leaders and/or moments that will highlight what would be possible under the SAVE Act and how it is not right for things to be this way.

Given how this administration has been doing against voting rights, it has been at times very depressing to even cover and therefore I am trying not to get too close to the situation before it impacts my own mental health. However, with this project nearing a close, I felt like I have done something remarkable given the obstacles that this administration and news have thrown at me. I am still passionate about voting and feel like this project is my best opportunity to put my stamp onto something I have loved as a child.

I am hanging in there. Let’s finish strong!

Joel

[joelgaco]

UPDATE #6

Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last update. So here is everything that I have been working on for the last two weeks.

My recent posts that have been posted onto Instagram and Bluesky include

- Throwback post honoring Prince Kuhio and mentioning the parade that was taking place

- A recap of what was posted for March

- A preview of what is next for April

- A look thorough of voting rights through amendments and acts

- A throwback post honoring the legendary March of Washington and MJK’s I Have A Dream speech.

- A current event statement of the confirmation of Harmeet Dhillon’s into the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, the agency responsible for protecting voting rights.

With the constant news cycle that is occurring everyday, it can be difficult at times making sure to keep up with my calendar. With the confirmation of Dhillion, it really took all my time making sure that the statement was true and accurate before posting it. (Don’t get me started of the chaos of the tariffs)

As we mark onto the final moments of this semester and the last couple of posts, I have to start catching up so I can get through all my targets that I have set up for this month.

Therefore, I am currently working on Voting for Mail, Voting for Disables and the next throwback Thursday to be posted within the next couple of days. Hope to see you all there!

We are almost there to the finish line! Keep pushing y’all!

Joel

[joelgaco]

Update #5

Hello everyone! Here is a bit of a update.

It has been a major rollercoaster over the last 2 weeks.

I decided to take a bit of a break, consuming political content and trying to analyze it because it started to impact my mental health state. I knew that this was a possibility when I first started this project but it felt like a wave that I couldn’t possibly get myself out. Sometimes, hearing all these stories and perspectives can really break your brain and make you wonder if you are living in an alternate reality.

However, with this recent news around the SAFE Act, that personally affects the voting process and how people can register, I decided to return to researching and analyzing the bill. With nice work from NPR and ACLU, this new post was released over the weekend! Check it out.

With the break in the rear view mirror (and some missed posts from my previous calendar), I decided to edit the calendar with updated dates and posting topics all the way to the end of the campaign. Here is the full version below!

In honor of Prince Kuhio Day, a post for the late Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole will be posted tomorrow as a special Throwback Thursday post and then it will be set to regularly scheduled programing from there.

This is the home stretch of the project and all hands will be on deck. So excited for the last month of my college journey!

Joel

[joelgaco]

Update #4

Hello everyone!

Here is a nice update since it is been a while since a full fledged one!

I HAVE OFFICIALLY POSTED! And the Instagram and Bluesky Accounts are officially in motion

Here are the results of my first three posts. Check them out and show them some love!

One of the major problems that I have reached with is keeping up with the schedule and being constant with it. It can be difficult and easy to forgot at times when you are dealing with other classes and having to juggle jobs here and there but with the upcoming spring break, I feel like I have the opportunity to really set myself with great momentum for the next two weeks starting off with posting 3 times on time!

Trying to be creative but making sure that everything that is written and presented is factual! With great power comes great responsibility!

Next post coming up later on today on how to be motivated to vote! Stay tuned!

Joel

[joelgaco]

It is Live!

Hello everyone!

The Instagram and BlueSky accounts for this Project: Every Vote for the Future is officially online! Go follow it right now!

Welcome post coming later today!

Let’s start our journey out right!

[joelgaco]

Update 3

Hello everyone!

Kind of an early and small update.

Presented down below are my social media plan and posting calendar (as promised in my last update), all set up for a opening of my social media accounts starting at the beginning of March!

I am so excited that I have the greenlight to start this project! The countdown to March 1st begins now!

A sneak peak coming soon!

Joel

[joelgaco]

Update 2

Hello everyone!

Since it has been 2 weeks since my first post on this page, here is a little quick update on what I am been doing since then.

After looking through BlueSky, I have made the decision to make it my permanent replacement for X. Especially going through further research of the platform and going through their terms of service, I found it to be much more effective and less tense then the current state of X.

I am currently in the stage of designing the layout of both of the Instagram and BlueSky accounts alongside drafting the welcome post that is set to be released on Week 6-7 on the project calendar.

Shown below is the tentative calendar for the release of my posts, with a start date of February 25, 2025. The schedule will change if the Welcome Post gets done before the 25th. To be able to have a constant posting schedule is key for maximizing engagement and impact.

Although this last semester seems to be a bit more challenging then all of my previous ones, it is definitely a challenge that I am willing to take head on and try my best to get it done and get it done right!

I will post the finished up social media plan and account layouts during Part 2 of this update coming up later on this week!

Until then,

Joel

[joelgaco]

Update #1

Hello everyone!

Since it has been 2 weeks since my first post on this page, here is a little quick update on what I am been doing since then.

Well, not much sadly. Shortly after class on Tuesday, I had a doctor appointment due to my ear bleeding out the previous night. Turns out I had an inner and outer infection out of the right ear alongside battling a cold at the same time and was placed on medical watch for about 3 days and was told to hydrate and rest up for that entire period. So I did exactly what my doctor told me to do. Here is a picture of my antibiotics pills and ear drops that are almost completed.

Now that I am feeling a tad bit better and no more blood is coming out my ear, I was able to set myself back on track on what I wanted to do for this project, which is essentially confirm the platforms I wanted my content to be presented now, which during my capstone presentation was planned to be Instagram and Twitter/X.

However as feared by me and my two professors as I presented my proposal, Instagram and X are acting completely different as the Trump administration has officially entered office on January 20, 2025. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta that runs Instagram says that he is removing fact-checkers from his applications and replacing them with community notes while there are reports from mutual users on X that are accounts & community notes that are being removed or supported that X’s CEO Elon Musk doesn’t like (proof presented below)

So, there might be a major shift in the plans in terms of what platform I will build out my social media campaign on, for the time being potentially switching X to one of the brand new social media platform in Bluesky. However, I have never had a BlueSky account so that is something I have to look into.

What I have planned for the next 2 weeks to take a deeper dive into Bluesky and see if they are a viable opinion to replace X while start building out the drafts on how I want my posts to look like, at least on Instagram for the time being.

Although there have been some major bumps in the road so far, I am very confident that I am to bounce back and be able to have some draft posts for the next update!

Until then,

Joel :)

[joelgaco]

Hello everyone! 

My name is Joel Gaco and welcome to my capstone page! I am very excited for this semester ahead and being so close to the finish line!

When looking at the previous senior capstone projects over the years, one of them that caught my attention was one of my good friends from high school, Joshua Centeno Cid who just me, did a social media campaign for his project. With focusing on art therapy and how much creating art can significantly improve people’s mood, mind and personal development. For someone who has gained a love for art (either within word like music or even in physical art like digital, paintings & photography), the impacts that these activities have spans in ways that it allows people’s potential to rise in ways where it can be done with learning via a textbook. 

For his deliverable, he focused on gathering a bunch of people and had them draw something that brought them joy & happiness. Just looking at the art just made so giddy and overwhelmed with emotions (also completely jealous about everyone’s art abilities)

Knowing Josh personally, I know he took everything in stride and set such an example for me to follow through for my social media journey. 

Hope that everyone has a great semester ahead! We are almost there y’all!