For many people, college is a fresh start. This can mean meeting new friends, getting involved, or taking studies more seriously. As a freshman, your main focus might be getting acclimated or putting yourself out there. There is plenty of freedom that awaits anybody starting their college journey.

For freshman Zac Calamita, it was an opportunity to be himself without the fear of being embarrassed.

From small influencer-style videos in high school, to determining what thousands of students might have for dinner, Calamita has reached quite an audience. His content includes taste-testing dining hall meals, opening PR, and doing things as simple as a quick ‘get ready with me’.

This average Penn State student has gone from knowing nobody to being noticed by many. Calamita mentioned that he began to receive attention on his videos after one of him rating dining hall food took off, standing at 161.3K views. This video was the start of his current 58-part series of trying different foods from different Penn State dining halls.

@zaccal12

Penn state dining hall food review pt 2 #psu #pennstate #dininghallfood #college #fyp

♬ original sound – zac

Of course, this isn’t the only video that has drawn attention on TikTok. Two videos currently pinned on his TikTok have done especially well. The first, “Pt. 37 of trying food at Penn State”, stands at 265.2K views and 28.3K likes.

His most successful video to date, however, had nothing to do with Penn State. In it, he ranked his “Top 5 Gracie songs as someone who’s been a fan since 2020,” celebrating singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. This video took off, with 909K views and 126.8K likes. His videos are primarily lifestyle-based, making it easy for any viewer to enjoy them.

@zaccal12

pt. 37 of trying food at penn state #psu #foodreview #college #dininghall #fyp

♬ original sound – zac

When asked about his audience, he shared it’s mostly Penn State-related.

“It’s definitely Penn State students, and like, 50-year-old moms… it is pretty much Penn State and a few other colleges,” Calamita said. He stated that colleges like LSU and Ohio State are in his profile views, and that he feels like he’s hit his ‘niche.’ With every ounce of fame, the hate comments begin to roll in.

“Yik Yak was not my friend, so I would get some things, and I had to delete the app,” Calamita said.

This hate was more prominent during his summer session, and it has turned more positive since then.

And after trying all of campus, Calamita has deemed the Pollock Dining Commons his all-time favorite.

“They move so fast there, and they portion everything out for you beforehand, and you just grab it,” he said. “They have a whole salad bar and a bunch of pizza and pasta, and it’s all included in the buffet.”

@zaccal12

So excited to be working with @Penn State University ! #psu #college #contentcreator #fyp #pennstatebrandambassador

♬ original sound – zac

While Calamita is doing well with his dining hall review videos, there is one thing his viewers are curious about: the PR. He posted a video on September 19th, a little over a week ago, opening a PR package from Penn State. This is when many found out Penn State recently began a Penn State Ambassadors program.

“So from what I’ve been told, this program started out last spring, and it had three people in it,” he said. “I think there’s around 10 of us in it now.”

The program was initially application-only, but switched in the fall. Now, Penn State is reaching out to influencers itself.

The program includes a prompt sent out once a month to its ambassadors, and from there, they create a video following the prompt guidelines. These ambassadors receive commission from these videos and do other fun activities, including an upcoming photography session with their team.

Calamita’s closing remarks were words of advice for students like him who might be hesitant to start social media.

“Do your own thing and be authentic about it,” he said. “It really is corny, but just be yourself and don’t try too hard.”