Humans of Hopkins: Peyton Mikolayek

Peyton Mikolayek is a first-year undergraduate studying English and Psychology at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. She’s also a social media influencer with over 500K followers on TikTok. In an interview with The News-Letter, Peyton discussed how she’s adapted to life in college and the reality of navigating dual worlds while maintaining authenticity, as well as how social media has created new opportunities for her.

The News-Letter: Would you say that your primary education or childhood experiences influenced your digital creativity and motivation to become a social media influencer?

Peyton Mikolayek: My background is a major part of the reason why I do social media. The reason I started making videos on my current [TikTok] account, @peytonliveslife, is that in my sophomore year of high school, I was going through a difficult patch because a lot of high school friend groups drift, and mine completely imploded. I felt like I didn't have anyone else to turn to, and it was so hard for me to make friends that I ended up turning to social media. I thought, if no one in my hometown understands me, there’s bound to be people online that do, and that's how I found that community. 

It's interesting, because I look back at my early content and see how much I've changed as a person since then. It's nice to know that there have been people behind me this whole time. That helped me a lot, especially through high school and now into college, because it's difficult to find your place in the world when you’re growing up. Having people that understand you, even if they're not physically there, is really reassuring, and it's become my little digital support group.

N-L: How do you manage the demands of a rigorous academic environment like Hopkins with the responsibilities and pressures of being a TikTok influencer?

PM: One thing I've done to help me maintain balance is changing my content style. I used to make a lot more lifestyle content because there was less to worry about in high school. It'd be things like getting ready for prom or a football game. Here, I've shifted a lot more to academic content; I've started making different study vlogs or note-taking advice. It makes [content creation] a lot easier when I'm talking about something that I'm so wrapped up in, like academics right now. I think that with such a big transition in my life, it makes a lot more sense to transition my content a bit as well.

N-L: How has being a TikTok influencer impacted how you view your identity as a college student? Do you ever feel like you have to separate or blend your two worlds?

PM: Things have gotten a lot easier for me since I've gotten here, but the first two weeks, it was a bit of a culture shock because people were very strange to me about my online personality in high school. I got a lot of negative feedback, and that's what I was expecting at Hopkins, but people have been very nice to me about it. The one thing that was really strange, though, is that when I was meeting new people during O-Week and the first week of classes, a lot of people already knew who I was when I didn't know who they were. I heard a lot of people just call me “TikTok girl.” It's changed a bit now, but it also took time [for me] to break out of that mold of what people expected me to be like. A lot of people that saw my original acceptance video had this perception of me before they came here. It's an interesting shift.

N-L: Have you faced any criticism or judgment from people at Hopkins about your social media presence? How do you handle it, and has it shaped the way you approach content creation?

PM:  I don't want to talk about my personal life as much, because it forms a strange parasocial bond when people know a lot more about you than you know about them. As much as I want to be approachable, I also want to keep that boundary where I'd rather have people talk to me about my experiences in real life, rather than learning everything about me through social media before they approach me.

I haven't directly received any negative feedback. I've heard a few things behind my back, just because there was a lot that I did put out there. For example, I posted myself reading my college essay, and I've seen people people, “How did she even get in here? This essay sucks,” just all of the stupid, regular criticism that you hear. But I don't think that it's been bad. If anything, the response from people has felt overwhelmingly positive. I've talked to so many nice people here that I probably wouldn’t have if I didn't already have myself out there. I think it's been more of a blessing than a curse in this situation, which is so strange, because that's not what I expected after high school.

N-L: How do you navigate the mental health challenges that come with the pressures of social media fame, particularly while managing the stresses of being a student?

PM: The mental health stresses have gotten a lot less prevalent since high school, because people were quite bad about it there. I got bullied a lot, but people at Hopkins have been really nice to me about it for the most part. That has made things a lot better — to know that I have this community of people behind me, instead of against me, at this school. One thing that I has changed for my mental health a lot was that, over the summer and in high school, I had this posting schedule that I just think is so crazy when I look back, because I would try to be posting once or twice a day. Here, it's closer to every four days. I've cut back a lot, and I think that has made it a lot easier to balance my school life. 

N-L: As someone who is both a student and an influencer, how do you balance being authentic while maintaining a brand that resonates with your followers?

PM: I felt a lot more comfortable sharing my life previously, but now that I'm in college and I'm surrounded by these people that I know might be seeing my content, I like to close myself off a bit more. I don't want anyone to feel that when they interact with me, I am going to be posting about it immediately after. 

One thing that also helps protect my authenticity is turning down sponsorships. Now that I center my content a lot more on academic things, I've gotten a lot of different high paying opportunities that I just cannot bring myself to take on: a lot of different brands that are focusing around AI and people that want to write your papers. These brands want to reach out to me, but I would never want to promote something like that at Hopkins.

N-L: How do your experiences at Hopkins inspire or influence the content you create on TikTok? Do you find that your academic journey or experiences shape the message or themes in your videos?

PM: My niche has changed quite a bit because at first, a lot of people followed me for more of my personal side and my high school drama. Now, I get so many different messages from young girls, especially current juniors and seniors in high school, asking me about their [college] applications. I feel like I've become a bit more of this functional, motivational speaker of sorts, trying to help these different people get into college. A lot of the people that I've met here went to crazy, high-ranked private schools. I just want to spread the message that even if you come from a more humble background, you can still make it to a school like this.

N-L: How do you envision your career unfolding, and how do you plan to integrate your experiences as a student and influencer into your long-term professional goals?

PM: My goal currently is that I really want to be a criminal defense attorney, and I don't think that I'm going to continue with social media throughout that career. I think that would be a strange juxtaposition. But, throughout college, it's been really nice to be able to get my name out there, and I've had a lot of different opportunities that I never would have been able to get if I wasn't already established. It helps me get my foot in the door with a lot of different opportunities. 

I have applied for all these different Marketing Manager positions here at [Hopkins], and with my background, it really gives me a leg up in a way that I never would have expected. But, I don't really see myself continuing with social media into the future. 

N-L: What skills have you developed from being an influencer that you think might be transferable to your academic or professional life? Have any of these skills surprised you in their usefulness? 

PM: The most integral skill I learned from TikTok is being able to talk to people, especially in the public presentation sphere. I've become so much more confident presenting in front of people. Now I see myself making these videos that 500,000 people or more see every single day, so the thought of giving a presentation in front of a lecture hall doesn't bother me at all. That's something that has definitely developed me a lot, because in early high school, I was so shy. 

N-L: What are some of the perks and quirks that you've experienced from being a college social media influencer?

PM: My favorite thing is having makeup and skincare nights with my friends, because I've transferred a lot of the PR that I’ve received over to here. Instead of just hoarding it all to myself, it's so fun to be able to meet these girls in my hall and be like, “Hey, do you want this, and this, and this?” It's fun to be able to share the positive effects of my job with others around me!