SCCC student has own YouTube channel

While many use YouTube as a place to watch videos – for Paola Estrada, YouTube is a part of her hobby. Seward County Community College nursing major Estrada uploads videos on YouTube, varying from makeup tutorials to vlogs. 

When meeting Estrada for her interview, the first thing I noticed was her flawless makeup. It is, after all, what her channel is all about – makeup. What I didn’t expect, though, was for an up-and-coming social media influencer to be so humble about the whole thing.

Crusader: Why did you create a YouTube channel?

A: I’ve been watching YouTube for a while now and I thought it was really cool when YouTubers would receive PR packages. YouTube has always been something I’ve wanted to do. I started the YouTube channel mostly for fun. My goal is to make my channel a variety of content, not just one thing. 

Crusader: People who start YouTube channels tend to expand their platform, even leading them to become celebrities. Is that something you’d want to do? 

A: Oh no! That would be too many people [laughed].

Crusader: So you wouldn’t want to be as big as, for example, Charli D’Amelio from TikTok?

A:No, I would like to have people follow me but not that many. For now, I just do YouTube for fun.

Crusader: Do you watch YouTube videos and if so, what kind of YouTube content?

A: Yes, I do. I watch The Aguilars, Les Do Makeup, AlondraDessy, all of them. 

Crusader: Most of those YouTubers are Spanish speaking. Is that why you choose to make your YouTube content in Spanish?

A: I do them in Spanish because of my family. A lot of my family watches my YouTube videos and they speak Spanish. Also since my Mom only knows Spanish, that way they can understand. There also aren’t many people who do their YouTube videos in Spanish so that’s also why. 

Crusader: Some of your YouTube videos include your family. Do they support your content?

A: Yes, they were actually the ones that encouraged me to start the channel. I would tell my family ‘I want to start a YouTube channel’ then they would be like ‘yeah you should do it!’ Then I finally did.

Crusader: Was there someone or something that inspired you to create your YouTube channel? 

A: Nah. Not really, I just wanted to do something different. 

Crusader: We just started a new year. Do you have things planned for your YouTube channel? How do you go about planning when and what to post?

A: I post mostly whenever I come up with ideas and when I have something to record. Because sometimes I just really don’t have things to record but I would like to post more. 

Crusader: Do you edit and produce your own videos? 

A: I do edit my own videos. I do everything. Editing is the hardest part; it takes a lot of time. Also to upload the video, it sometimes takes hours. 

Crusader: How do you come up with ideas for videos?

A: Well, like for my first video, I just thought it would be a good idea to do a get ready with me, you know? Then for my other videos, I try to record when I am out of town, just trying to vlog what I can. I think it is a bit more difficult to do YouTube videos here because in Liberal there isn’t much to do. 

Crusader: Is it nerve-wracking to vlog in front of other people?

 A: I feel like here, yes, but like the vlog I did in California, I wasn’t really shy. Probably because no one knows me there [laughed].

Crusader: Would you advise other people to start their own YouTube channels and if so, what advice would you give them? 

A: I say yes. I would just go for it because we only live once, you know? It can sometimes be hard because it takes a long time but it will work out and be okay. 

Crusader: Where can people watch your videos?

A: On YouTube at Paola Estrada, on Instagram at _itsspaola_ and on TikTok at paola.025.

This interview has been edited and condensed