Freshman Kaity Smith recently reached 1,000 subscribers on YouTube — a major feat for the quickly rising influencer, who started her channel in April.
Smith, who is from the suburbs of Springfield, Missouri, knew from the beginning what her channel was to focus on: vlogs. Vlogging has become the modern tell-all video diary of 21st-century teens.
“My initial plan was vlogs. I was already vlogging before I started my channel,” Smith said about her approach to becoming the YouTuber she is now.
Smith also revealed the struggles of managing school, work and filming, and how she’s still working on finding balance in her routine.
“I’m definitely still learning how to do that,” Smith said. “I try to do a lot of the online stuff of editing my videos on the weekend. Whenever I’m burnt out on studying, I edit. I plan out my day and make time.”
She doesn’t shy away from sharing just how stressful life can be as an honors student majoring in biology.
“Learning how to study is the hardest part of school,” Smith said. “I still haven’t gotten that down yet.”
As challenging as university life has proved, the young YouTuber still sees the bright side. “Going to college has helped my channel,” she said.
Juliann Riddle, a good friend of Smith’s who appears in many of her videos, loves to share the screen with her longtime friend, especially when vacationing together in places like Montreal.
“My favorite would have to be the ones we make on vacation because we’re usually exploring a new area or doing something new and exciting.”
A lively duo, Smith and Riddle make for an entertaining pair of best friends, with the twinge of teen familiarity in their giggles as they record themselves in everyday life.
In Smith’s first video of her vacation to Montreal series, the two girls excitedly share all the details of their journey, before later indulging themselves in “hard crepes.”
Another prominent guest star in many of Smith’s videos is her suitemate, fellow UMKC freshman Madison Garner.
Garner, like Smith, is also a member of the Honors College on campus. She and Smith didn’t meet until finding out they were suitemates this fall semester.
“Kaity and I have very similar personalities, so we just have fun the whole time. But we also know when to be serious,” Garner said about her favorite part of working with Smith.
Garner goes on to talk about how it feels to see yourself under the scope of the internet.
“I learned how to adjust to being filmed,” Garner said. “It can be weird to see myself online or have people talk about me in the comments.”
Both girls mention Smith’s spontaneity and how it makes the process enjoyable for them. Her videos focus on “living in the moment” and “romanticizing our lives,” for the better, according to Garner and Riddle. Smith’s friends also reference her work-ethic as being admirable.
Whether it be the “Get Ready with Me” vlogs, or the candid college experience videos, Smith’s channel’s strength lies in its authenticity of a young girl, growing and experiencing life in college during a pandemic.
You can find her channel, “Kaity Smith” on YouTube.
sjhhkd@mail.umkc.edu
