“Throughout my Tiktok popularity, I’ve received both negative and super uplifting comments, which wasn’t surprising as it is, after all, another social media platform. For example, in one Tiktok about how nonblack people shouldn’t say the n-word, several people, mostly males, started arguing against my stance and made personal attacks towards me. In response, I just kept my cool and reasonably explained to them how I felt about the situation. I also have inserted articles and credible sources to back up my arguments, and usually when people realize that they’re wrong, they often just leave the conversation and stop responding, which happened quite often with that one post. 

My videos started gaining popularity in April, after I posted a Tiktok about how my friends and I exposed a catfish account on Instagram. The anonymous catfish was pretending to be a student at Irvington, and after comparing our conversations with the account, we quickly caught on that he wasn’t a genuine high schooler. I guess people found that Tiktok entertaining and funny because of the context of the video. The funny thing is, I certainly never expected my content to blow up the way it did, and I was actually going to delete the catfish video the next morning since I thought people wouldn’t be interested in it.

Since then, one of my other favorite Tiktoks that I’ve made was about the television show Jane the Virgin. In it, I put my face on a bunch of Jane the Virgin posters, joking about the irony of missing my period as a virgin, which a lot of girls who’ve watched the show found hilarious. Besides my comedic and relatable Tiktoks, I also enjoy the ones in which I get a chance to dress up in cultural and ethnic clothing with my best friends. 

On the other hand, some people have supported my arguments and called out others on their inherent racism or discriminatory remarks, which strengthens my confidence on the platform. Also, if I post a Tiktok that has no relevance to how I look or dress, I’d still find comments like “Oh my god, I wish I looked like this,” or  describing how relatable my Tiktok was. I enjoy seeing people making these positive remarks, especially if I’m having a bad day, since then they put me in a good mood and make my day better. 

Through Tiktok, I’ve received product-endorsement offers from multiple makeup, jewelry, and athletic brands, however I haven’t gotten back to them since I only post on Tiktok for leisure pleasure. Perhaps in the future I can consider making money out of it, but currently, it’s a hobby for me. What I would like to do though once quarantine is over, is make Tiktoks with all my friends, especially with Swathi Sridhar (12) on our collaborative account. I enjoyed making Tiktoks with her prior to the pandemic, and I hope we’re able to restart that venture soon.”