Caroline Manning is a third year student studying entrepreneurship with a marketing minor and a full-time social media content creator, with over 1.4 million YouTube subscribers who follow her day-to-day life.
For Manning, it all began with music. At 12, she was asked to sing the National Anthem at the University of Texas – Austin and earned local recognition as “the little girl with the big voice.” But when she first posted on YouTube, she wasn’t looking for internet fame–she had a very specific audience in mind.
“My Vietnamese grandmother wanted to see my performances, so I posted them on YouTube for her,” she said. “At the time, my videos always had just one view, and it was my grandmother.”
Then Manning began sharing her own music, including original songs from her journal. When she was 14, she posted a song called “Dear Boys at My School,” and everything changed.
“That song just blew up. It got one million views overnight,” Manning said. “I showed up at school the next day and everyone was gathered around their phones and looking at me–it was like a classic movie moment. I ran to the bathroom and called my mom thinking ‘I just need to go home!’”
After the initial shock wore off, Manning saw that the song resonated with lots of people, so she created a series called “Dear blank” including songs like “Dear Friends” and “Dear Parents.” Her following continued to grow, and she expanded her content to include daily life vlogs and “Get Ready With Me” videos. Soon, she was creating sponsored content for brands like Nike, Lululemon and, recently, Semester at Sea.
at Sea.
“My entire life from 14 until now–at nearly 21 years old–has been documented online,” she said. “Lots of my peers became successful influencers, dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue their careers. But I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. Education has always been important to me. I’ve known for a long time that while I do love the job I have now, it’s very easy to get caught up in the superficial aspects. I wanted something to ground me and I wanted to keep living a normal life.”
College was the answer. While considering different schools, Manning visited Boise State on her parents’ suggestion–they had almost moved to Boise years ago. After seeing campus, Manning knew it was where she wanted to be. And she has found many connections between her coursework and content creation.
“I’m always curious to learn new things and that’s why I went the business route,” she said. “I’ve been doing social media content creation and marketing myself for six years, but now I’m learning the foundations. Partnering with brands showed me there’s so much more than just me as the influencer–there are logistics, communications, and getting products out on time. Now, in my classes, I’m learning how it all works and finally understanding the textbook reasons why. And it’s not just marketing; learning about human resources and supply chain management is so important if you want to run your own business.”
Manning’s education also ties in with her future plans. As the world of social media and content creation changes, she’s prepared to eventually step away from her YouTube channel. Her biggest goal is to raise a family, and then move behind the camera and start her own management company.
In the meantime, college life provides content creation opportunities that resonate with her followers.
“Online, people really want authenticity. They want to see everyday life. Being in school lets me focus on being a relatable college student in spite of not having a relatable job,” Manning said. “Boise State is such an easy place to find yourself and not get lost in the sauce. Here, people my age just treat me like Caroline, regardless of my job. The highs and lows of success on social media are great, but making a new friend in class is even greater.”