Issuu

Vol. 96, Issue 5

Oct. 22 - Nov. 4, 2025

FRESHMAN INFLUENCERS TAKE OVER TIKTOK

colette.couillard

nikkipindor

juliaathomasss

Photo Courtesy of Colette Couillard

Photo Courtesy of Nikki Pindor

Photo Courtesy of Julia Thomas

“I went to the Olivia Rodrigo concert and there were little girls coming up to me, and one girl was crying and I didn’t know that I had that effect on younger kids.”

“Even if you’re the kindest person out there, you’re still gonna have to deal with rumors and hate. You just have to be mentally strong. It comes with the platform.”

“I just want to have friends and a community that makes me feel safe. If you don’t like me, that’s okay — I’ll find my people.”

Colette Couillard Nikki Pindor makes an impact has your attention

Julia Thomas keeps it real

By Keira Faddis

By Talia Gorelick

By Vivian Amoia

Co-Opinion Editor

Contributing Writer

Colette Couillard, lifestyle influencer and UM freshman, was only a high school sophomore when she first went viral. She made a video on a new TikTok account talking about her then boyfriend breaking up with her. “I posted it on TikTok, and it went super viral,” Couillard said. “At first I thought it was just funny, but then I realized people were actually following me and interested in my life.” That single post launched her career. She racked up 500k followers in the months after her initial post. Even after the account was banned, her new account has since caught up to the original follower count, with more than 660k followers. The UM marketing major describes her niche as lifestyle. Couillard’s feed offers a glimpse into college life, Miami culture and the realities of growing up online with get ready with me videos and vlogs of her nights out with friends. “I’m on my phone all the time, doomscrolling,” Couillard said. “Whenever I see an interesting concept, I take inspiration from it or just think of the things people might find interesting about my life here.” A typical day for Couillard involves juggling her classes with not only her social life, but her job as an influencer. She posts two or three videos daily, and has already found her routine on campus. She usually films a “Get Ready With Me” video in the morning, goes to classes in the afternoon and then scrolls for more inspiration at night. After years of balancing schoolwork and sponsorships, she’s learned how to manage both worlds without letting either side take over. “I’ve been doing it since my sophomore year of high school, so it’s just a habit now,” Couillard said. “If I have a big brand deal due the same week as exams, I just tell them to wait one second — school comes first.”

Everyone who scrolls on TikTok knows Nikki Pindor. At least, everyone thinks they do. She’s a freshman who accidentally killed her dorm fish, cooked for frat boys just to watch the comments explode and posts viral, cringey “Get Ready With Me” videos. She calls it trolling and her comment section calls it a train wreck. Either way, her strategy to get famous is working, and it might just be genius. In just a month, Pindor went from “irrelevant” to unavoidable, the kind of campus celebrity who can’t leave her dorm room without ending up on YikYak, a social media app where users can make anonymous posts. And the kicker? She’s already making five figures a month while doing it. “Song promos go for like $400,” Pindor said, shrugging. “Just for putting it in the background of a video.” Add brand deals, collabs and a manager she casually met at a house party, and suddenly she’s on her way to graduating debt-free. How did Pindor troll her way to making $20k a month without losing her GPA or her mind? Pindor didn’t wait long to test the waters. In her first week on campus, she was like any other freshman. By the second week, she was all over TikTok. “I started posting general UMiami content,” Pindor explained. A TikTok about “Pancakes with Pat” got her on people’s Tik Tok For You pages immediately. Then came the infamous fish video. By the third week of classes, people were stopping her in the Mahoney-Pearson dorms for photos. “I post controversial stuff once in a while,” Pindor said. “If I want to get an extra boost, I’ll post some ragebait. And those always work.”

Julia Thomas is a well-known face on campus thanks to her almost 65,000 TikTok followers. Before becoming a popular creator and coming to Miami, the UM freshman attended high school in Dallas, Texas and cheered competitively for eight years. She started making content her senior year and blew up at the beginning of the summer when she posted a video with her boyfriend Hunter, who plays baseball at Texas A&M. The video received a lot of attention and many people shared their opinions about their soon-to-be long-distance relationship. “People really liked that video because it was about my boyfriend. They had a lot to say and some people didn’t think we’d make it,” Thomas said. The backlash didn’t bother her. She knows her boyfriend, who has been with her for more than four years, and her relationship better than strangers on the internet. Thomas uses her platform to build an authentic community, posting a mix of content like “Day In The Life” videos, sit-down chats, fashion content and wellness. Her favorite videos are ones where she sits and talks directly to her followers about her life or advice she has for them. “I feel like people like to put a huge facade up on the internet. It’s nice for people to hear that others struggle too,” Thomas said. When choosing where to go to college, Thomas chose UM because of the big city but smaller campus community. Her favorite spot on campus is the Lakeside Patio by the stage where she likes to eat dinner, study and watch the sunset with her roommate. Outside of campus, she loves to explore spots in Coconut Grove, Brickell and South Beach.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

‘Porch pirates’ documented stealing packages at The Cloisters Miami By Hannah Valdivia Contributing Writer

Photo Courtesy of Tiyana Hartwell A concealed young man rummages through a package at UM junior Tiyana Hartwell’s front door at The Cloisters Miami on Sept. 8 at 4:20 a.m.

INDEX:

NEWS | PAGE 2

Several reports were made by residents of The Cloisters Miami, off-campus apartment complex located on SW 57th Ave behind the Wellness Center, that a “porch pirate” had been seen on camera stealing packages from their front doors. Tiyana Hartwell, a junior at the University of Miami, shared Ring camera footage with The Hurricane, showing a concealed young man fumbling through a package at their

OPINION | PAGE 4

A&E | PAGE 5

front door and walking away on Sept. 8 at 4:20 a.m. Other residents expressed concern for their safety as several similar incidents have occurred within the same complex. “There have been multiple incidents of a man sneaking into apartments around three in the morning and taking packages,” said a resident who wished to remain unnamed. “Several residents have asked management to address the issue, but their response has been lackadaisical.” When asked to comment on the situation, The Cloisters Miami re-

V’S TAKE | PAGE 6

sponded that they were “looking into the situation but as of now have no record of any form of theft.” However, the Cloisters’ response has left some students concerned for their safety, complaining that “their inaction is worrisome” and “students don’t feel their safety concerns are being taken seriously,” as shared by the same unnamed resident of the apartment complex. This is not the first time the apartment has been under fire for reports of “unsafe conditions.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SPORTS | PAGE 6