In the modern era, creative and “out of the box” jobs are becoming more and more widely-accepted and visible in society. Many high schoolers have found their creative passion through video making or “vlogging” on Youtube. Vlogging is essentially the 21st century version of journaling. Some simultaneously do school and have professional Youtube careers. Other youtubers have left school and made Youtube their entire career at a young age. Although the famous Youtubers may seem far from anyone we could know, there are actually many Youtube personalities walking the halls of East Grand Rapids High School.

Emma Klein ‘22 has a Youtube channel where she uploads a variety of videos such as vlogs, and clothing hauls. Klein makes her videos for fun but also said, “I would like to keep making them for people to enjoy and maybe in the future have more subscribers.” Many youtubers have a strict uploading schedule, but some just upload whenever they can. Klein tries to make one to two videos per week and says she would like to continue making videos for as long as she can. It’s no secret that being in high school means you can feel judged at times for putting yourself out there. Putting your videos on Youtube is definitely a leap that not everyone feels comfortable taking. “I have always wanted to make YouTube videos but I was scared of what people would think,” Klein said. “Ever since I started, people tell me they love them and enjoy watching them!” If you’re interested in watching Klein’s videos, make sure to check out her channel, “Emma Elizabeth.”

Another hidden star you may not have known who dabbles in the Youtube world is Lily Kate Rogers ‘19. Rogers makes vlogs about her lacrosse team here at East. “I think it’s especially funny because in school a lot of people don’t know what our team is like so I hope people from school watch and get a kick out of it,” Rogers said. Rogers explains how she started making videos. “I love Youtube. Obviously. Like any other teenager, but I really like watching videos of different lacrosse programs to see how they’re run compared to ours. I think our team is super fun so I was inspired by them to make a video showing how we do things at East.” Apart from the filming aspect of them, editing their videos can be a somewhat long and strenuous process depending on how each individual chooses to edit their content. Rogers said her videos take her 2 to 4 hours to edit, “[depending] on if I want to have some weird editing or just raw clips.”

Some vloggers prefer just to keep their videos to themselves and their friends to watch. “I started making videos just for fun and to document fun times with friends,” Miriam Ronda ‘19 said. Youtube, for many, is not a job, but simply a way to put together memories in a video that they can look back on and enjoy in the future. “I just like to vlog actual things that happen, for example, my golf team’s practice or hanging out with friends,” Ronda said.

There’s no doubt that Youtube has brought many opportunities to people around the world, “I started making videos because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity that YouTube has provided for other vloggers (such as Hannah Meloche and Emma Chamberlain) to create revenue with minimal personal financial costs. I also started making videos on the off chance that, if I miraculously became famous, the name recognition could help in future career paths,” Eric Haun ‘19 said. Haun previously uploaded vlogs to Youtube, but no longer does. “My favorite thing to vlog was sarcastic, witty comments about my life and what I do in my free time. My favorite video was probably when the one where “I went vegan for a day” or when I went on a run with my sister. It was my first time going for a run, outside of middle school gym class, and, needless to say, I have a lot of respect for cross country runners,” Haun said.

Even with its many benefits, being a Youtuber certainly can come with negative consequences. “I stopped making videos because my mom held the belief that, in the future, sound bites from my videos could be used to portray me in a negative manner, so she wanted me to stop making videos for my best interests,” Haun said. Because it is such a public and accessible social media platform, content put on Youtube can also come back to hurt you as much as it could help you.

If you’ve been wanting to put yourself out there in the Youtube community, whether it be for fame or enjoyment, shoot your shot, because you never know where it could lead you. It’s important to be safe when doing anything with your social media profiles, Youtube included. You don’t have to be “famous” or have a large following; anyone can be a Youtuber. All it takes to make a video is some dedication and a little creativity, just as some of our very own high school students at East Grand Rapids have done.