International Students Take on Social Media
Influencers Every Foreign Student Should Check Out
By Javiera Sarmiento, Staff Writer
Ever feel misunderstood as an international student? If so, you can find comfort in following other international students who share their college perspectives through social platforms.
Although every international student experiences college uniquely, the need to feel understood arises at some point. It is normal to question if being away from home is as chaotic for others as it is for oneself.
Do other foreign students struggle with homesickness or having to cook or even learn to do laundry by themselves? Well, the answer is YES! And thanks to platforms like Tiktok, YouTube and Instagram, more international college students are sharing their experiences with living abroad.
To create a list of the most relatable and motivational international student influencers, iPulse spoke with foreign students from Lynn University. Here are the top three influencers worthy of a follow, plus some bonus creators who are also worth the time.
“One influencer I’ve followed since I was in high school and still watch these days is Tamara Avinami,” said Sofia Espinosa, a sophomore. “It’s funny because she’s younger than me, and she just started college, but somehow I still relate and learn a lot from her.”
Avinami is a 19-year-old Colombian-American influencer who shares her daily life as an Indiana University first-year student with over 150,000 YouTube subscribers and 92,000 TikTok followers.
Avinami’s typical content includes vlogs of her university days, food and cloth hauls and sincere opinions about topics like homesickness and pledging a sorority. Although Avinami makes content in English, she still highlights how she was raised in a Colombian household and somehow feels like an international student, although her family lives in Miami.
Avinami usually posts once a week on her YouTube channel but is more active on Tiktok and Instagram, where she shares a more aesthetic side of her life while her YouTube vlogs show a more realistic side of her as a student. Avinami is on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and even Pinterest as “TamaraAvinami.”
“Whenever I need some inspiration to keep going or advice or even a laugh, I immediately think of Ana Wolferman’s Tiktok,” said Camila Madariaga, a junior.
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Ana Gabriela Wolfermann is a senior at the University of Notre Dame who uploads videos in Spanish and English. She moved to the U.S. more than a decade ago. The 21-year-old influencer and actress has been seen on Telemundo, Netflix and most recently Disney Channel.
Regardless of her acting success, Wolferman focuses on sharing her true self with her almost 1 million TikTok followers, 126,000 Instagram followers and 13,900 thousand YouTube subscribers.
Wolfermann’s content is characterized by optimism and looking on the bright side of situations. Apart from inspiring college students to make the most out of the four years away from home, Wolfermann shares the not-so-happy days, heartbreaks and tears.
Find out more about her journey by checking her social platforms: @anawolfermann. Wolfermann also has a podcast called “Creating Happiness,” which is available on Spotify.
“Honestly, I don’t think I could think of a better influencer than Adri Navid,” said Ana Berenguer, a sophomore. “Her content just hits home because she’s a Lynn student too. That’s something we should all be proud of and appreciate more.”
Originally from Bolivia, Adriana Veizaga is a senior at Lynn currently studying advertising and public relations. Veizaga — known on social media under the username @adrinavid — is the perfect influencer to follow for day-in-the-life vlogs, reminders that missing home is OK, motivational messages and even tips and tricks on how to adapt to the language and technology used at U.S colleges.
Veizaga is beloved at Lynn and within the social media community she has created, which is made up of 834,200 followers on Tiktok and 16,400 followers on Instagram. Not every international student is lucky enough to go to the same college as a person as Veizaga, who puts all her effort into showing what her life is like. Make sure to give her a follow and feel free to say hi if you see her around campus.
International influencers who are no longer in college anymore but are still relatable and have quality advice on living abroad, healthy lifestyles, cooking, fashion, entrepreneurship and more include Dani Schulz (@Danischulz), Paola Zurita (@Paumtzurita) and Juan Pablo Zurita (@juanpazurita).
