Last year’s quarantine period was an interesting time for all of us. Most of us were trapped in houses that we couldn’t leave, so we picked up on things to past the time. For some of us, it was working out, testing our cooking abilities or building a hatred towards Carol Baskins. But for Penn State freshman Katie Feeney, it was her start to stardom.

While stuck at home last spring, Feeney, who is an avid lover of Amazon, decided to record herself unboxing packages and posted them onto her TikTok. What started off as a fun way to pass the time soon turned into fruitful career with a lot of opportunities.

Since finding her niché audience through unboxing videos, Feeney now exclusively works alongside Amazon by partnering with Prime Student, Amazon Fashion, Style Snap, Amazon Beauty, and, more recently, Amazon Live.

“For a while, I was doing them twice a week,” Feeney told Onward State. “It was the start of something I saw becoming a lot bigger, so it was cool that I was at the beginning of it.”

Now, with more than 6 million followers on TikTok, one million followers on Youtube, and a sponsorship with one of her favorite brands, Coach, Feeney has established herself as one of one the next up-and-coming social media superstars.

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Despite making enough money to move to a bigger city to pursue her influencer career, the Maryland native decided to take the traditional route and pursue a degree at a university. Although her hometown Terrapins was one of her top choices, Feeney chose Penn State when looking for something new.

“I’ve always loved Penn State,” Feeney said. “It’s a big football school, I love the college town… I fell in love once I visited.”

Feeney’s first moment of shock at Penn State came from during the annual New Student Convocation. When touting this year’s freshmen, President Eric Barron himself told the whole class that they have a well-followed influencer amongst them.

“I had no idea. It was so out-of-the-blue,” Feeney said. “But everyone started cheering, which was good. If they had booed, then it would have been very awkward.”

Another reason Feeney stuck with the Nittany Lions was to get away from her hometown in hopes of not being recognized. However, internet fame was something she couldn’t escape.

“I’m just very surprised by people actually noticing me and recognizing me,” Feeney said. “I honestly did not think that people would, which was part of the reason why I wanted to go here instead of Maryland.”

For now, Feeney is currently studying broadcast journalism at Penn State and hopes to one day have her own podcast or talk show in the e-commerce space. A line of her own products wouldn’t be too shabby, either.

Since starting at Penn State, Feeney has changed her content from unboxing videos to vlogs and lifestyle videos and hopes to focus more on Youtube to see where it goes and the opportunities that come with it. Some more recent videos included trying Creamery ice cream or documenting a day in the life of a Penn State student.

The biggest piece of advice Feeney offered to everyone looking to find success on TikTok, and social media in general, is to be consistent and be yourself.

“I think a lot of people are very worried about how people will view them,” Feeney said. “People are going to make fun of you and are going to talk about you, but if it’s something you want to pursue, just go for it.”