At 6:42 a.m., Irvine native, Harvard sophomore and academic superstar Helaine Zhao rolls out of bed, raises her curtain and heads off to change clothes and brush her teeth. She hits the gym at 7:09 and arrives at the cafeteria by 8:04 for a bowl of plain yogurt and blueberries.
We learn these details – and can listen to the teeth-brushing, feet pounding on the treadmill and clink of the spoon against the bowl – because Zhao broadcasts them on her YouTube channel to more than 168,000 subscribers. Another 321,700 fans follow her on TikTok, where she similarly invites viewers to follow her morning routine, study with her and get a peek at her daily life at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Last fall, Business Insider mentioned Zhao as part of a growing number of student content creators who are transforming how college applicants decide their futures: less with websites or brochures and more with first-person tours of classrooms and cafeterias. While concrete numbers of these young influencers are elusive, there are signs the trend is growing. TikTok has a page of stars, some with more than 1 million followers, and advice about how to grow audience and earn income with brand promotions and sponsored posts.
#IvyLeagueIRL
The Ivy League schools are notoriously expensive, and while Zhao’s parents are paying most of her bills, Zhao is taking care of incidentals and saving a nest egg by assiduously leveraging her status and industrious habits. Sponsorships and promotions have turned a hobby into a six-figure side gig.
“This has grown super, super fast,” she says.
The money is just part of Zhao’s motive. She also has a mission: “I want to be a motivation, especially for young girls around the world, to show them what’s possible and inspire them to go after their dreams.”
While her videos spend a lot of time showing close-ups of her meals, a constant theme is the power of discipline and routine. She carefully makes her bed each morning after her regular seven to eight hours of slumber, and she invites viewers to study with her, soundlessly, on a regular basis.
Her fans can’t get enough of it.
“Helaine you’re literally my inspiration, not only because of how hard-working you are but also how beautiful you are,” reads one comment.
Zhao’s own list of powerful influencers begins with her parents, both immigrants from China: Harry Zhao, a software engineer, and Sally Liu, a piano teacher. “They helped me learn good habits at a young age,” Helaine says.
“I want to be a motivation, especially for young girls around the world, to show them what’s possible and inspire them to go after their dreams.”
Helaine Zhao
Irvine, where Zhao was born and raised, made a big difference in her life. So much that she researched the educational investments for a paper, discovering that the Excellence in Education Enrichment Program has invested millions of dollars into the public schools’ music and arts programs alone.
“I feel so blessed to have grown up in Irvine,” she says. “Growing up in a community that prioritizes education naturally makes me value my education more and put a lot of effort and time into it.”
Zhao sends special thanks to Michelle Skelley at Northwood Elementary, “the most supportive teacher ever,” who took the time to bring flowers to Zhao at one of her ballet performances.
Stage presence
Zhao is a natural performer who began playing piano at age 3 and later played at major venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She has also been featured twice on NPR’s “From the Top” program, which showcases young musical talent.
In 2023, Zhao won a $25,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for a paper in which she described how practicing an instrument can help cultivate sharper focus. She has been drawn to social media from an early age. At age 10, she briefly stole her mother’s phone to make her first video. In March 2024, Zhao started producing more videos. Now she wonders if her hobby might turn into a career.
“The future of marketing is all around social media, so I’m glad I got to tap into it early,” she says.
