Sienna Long is one of the University of Miami’s fastest growing social media stars with 22.9k followers. But she never saw herself in Miami.
When applying to colleges, Long struggled to picture herself liking UM until she visited her brother, who was a junior at UM, for spring break. During the trip, she fell in love with the school.
“I came and I stayed with him in the dorms and got to experience the life here, people and energy,” the freshman said. Long’s great experience with her brother is why she decided to apply early decision to the University while also managing her unexpected fame.
Long’s journey to starting content creation parallels her unexpected move to the University of Miami. One of her first videos that ever went viral was a complete accident. It was the 30th of December 2024, right before the new year! The video was a clip of her sister laughing in bed at Instagram reels which she woke up to find racked up more than six million views.
She found her true niche when she made a “Get Ready With Me” video in Spanish. This video along with her First Day Of Classes video transformed her hobby into a career.
When she was first going viral on TikTok, she often stressed herself out over how much she needed to post a day. There were days where the pressure of posting would get to her.
Eventually she focused on uploading whenever she felt like it. She has a schedule, but if she’s not enjoying what she does, Long says no one will.
“I think I let the pressure of social media and posting three times a day get to me so much in the beginning. I was so stressed all the time,” Long said.“And then I kind of, like, one day I took a step back and said, ‘Girl, what are you doing? This is supposed to be fun.’”
In an industry dominated by artificial personas, Long strives for authenticity. She challenges the “life’s great all the time” stigma and isn’t afraid to be openly vulnerable.
“I will go on there and be like, ‘I’m not having a good day. ‘I feel like crap,” Long said.
Her goal is to tell the world that “nobody is perfect” while using her struggles to offer solutions. She states that showing your vulnerable side makes creators human. Long sticks to a dedicated routine of focusing on herself. Things like her “sunday reset” and “mental health days” are vital in calming her down.
Her drive and determination started at home. Long’s mother who also works in social media serves as her daughter’s biggest fan but also her most honest critic.
“It’s more like, ‘what can we do better next time?” Long said. “I generally don’t think I would thrive as a human being if my mom just let everything slide.”
Beyond her social media presence, Long has a deep passion for performing. She grew up a competitive dancer, doing full makeup since she was four years old.
While she’s left dancing in the past, she still loves to sing. Long credits Tate McRae as one of her biggest inspirations.
Long has a very resilient attitude towards online negativity. She operates with a powerful mindset stating she doesn’t have time for the negativity. She states that she’d rather have people talking bad about her than not talking at all.
She speaks about the importance of the mantra “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” it reflects on her journey as a creator. She notes that she’s become a more positive person than she initially was.
It’s a gesture of passing the love she receives in her own community. You never know how you might brighten someone’s day. Long believes the best way to thrive is to be yourself.
“Be prepared to be made fun of, set your goals and don’t let anything, or anyone, shake your confidence.”