Author: Daniel Schaefer

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An Ourglass Story

A literary magazine’s purpose is to present stories, poetry, and art in as pure a creative form as possible. The Ourglass, Community College of Denver’s decades-long-running lit mag, holds sacred the artistic vision of their contributors. When the editorial staff accepts a piece for publication, there are no further edits. If it is executed with precision and emotion, it stands out to the editors who can envision it blossoming on the page exactly as the writer intended.

As a fledgling writer and CCD student as well, I often wonder if I could be capable enough to build a career out of crafting words for the page. It’s an easy habit to look back at my writing and see how my sentences drag on and clunk into each other, how some transitions feel more senseless than seamless. Despite my self-criticism and doubt (and also being required to for a creative writing assignment), I ended up submitting several poems and promptly putting it out of mind.

Investigating what happens after you hit submit, I discovered that my poems likely ended up in the hands of Riley Nguyen, fellow CCD student and one of the editors on the editorial team. After talking with her, it was clear how much goes into this review process. She’s been busy preparing this year’s publication, receiving, reviewing, and making the judgment call on submissions to the magazine.

Riley’s background in charity fundraising is the perfect foundation for this type of editorial work. She knows how to sharpen a message, direct it at the correct audience, and earn the investment capital needed to sustain an organization. She sees her role in fundraising as that of liaison, where the visions of a non-profit organization or entrepreneur get translated and forwarded to the powerful minds and hands that can dole out investment dollars. The stakes are real, and she is dependable.

Her skills of communication and detailed wordcraft have transferred nicely into the literary sphere. The currency and stakes she now deals in are emotions. Making clear her priorities, Riley said, “You want to have a connection between the artist and the reader and my job is to mediate between the two because, yes, the artist can make a brilliant piece of work, but it’s really difficult for a reader to understand if it’s chaotically organized.” 

She leans forward in her chair focused on her open laptop, critically experiencing one story after another, balancing how long a piece is with the potential value it might bring to readers. Every accepted entry must be justified — after all the reality of the form of the magazine means printing space is limited. Out of an estimated 300 pieces, only 30, or perhaps as many as 40, will make it in. Their standards make it clear there is no room for incompleteness or slop. 

Riley, ever the empathetic editor, acknowledges the range and depth of the submissions. Noting one particularly emotional and delicate story that struggled to meet the magazine’s standards, Riley said, “I recognize that this is a very vulnerable story… and unfortunately, I have to be the arbitrator of these standards, but also that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been touched by these stories. I’ve had several stories that didn’t make it in for one reason or another… that totally made me cry.” 

Graceful or stumbling, readable or not — these stories are real and full of meaning, and at these soulful moments, they reach out and touch an audience, one set of eyes and emotions at a time. Some stories just require more cultivation and work to accomplish this goal.

Once selections are made and the drafts and design are finalized, it will get digitally bundled together and sent to the printers to be printed out in its physical form and dispersed throughout Auraria Campus. The students and readers who eventually open a copy will have the same chance to experience the stories, just as Riley did, but more carefully curated.

To be honest, when I contacted Riley for an interview, I had completely forgotten that I had submitted to the magazine. I was reminded only a few days ago, while working on the piece you’re reading now, because I discovered an Ourglass rejection letter in my student email inbox. I could have felt disappointed, but, on reflection, I could more easily imagine Riley, with her laptop, leaning into my poems, understanding how they’re not the right fit, still appreciating that another whole human being took the time to write themselves onto the page for her careful consideration.

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First Friday

First Friday Art Walks are always a hit. The Denver art district of Santa Fe is a unique corner of Denver that provides the satisfaction of gorgeous art, culture, local food and music that makes the perfect combination of a relaxed and fun environment. On Santa Fe, not only can you look around Denver’s local art galleries, but shops like Moon Dance Botanicals greet you with open doors and a hot cup of healthy herbal tea. You are urged to explore the small local businesses such as Katya Candles. This establishment is well-known for their signature homemade candles, beautifully crafted to look like food or the shape of curvy bodies. The colorful and undemanding atmosphere compels your own inventiveness to be stimulated. The First Friday Art Walks remind you to work hard and play harder within your own life- let loose!  If you’re an artist suffering from creative block or just need a fun night out, come to this side of town! This event is held every first Friday of the month.

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Buena Vista!

Approximately three hours south of Denver in Chaffee County, you will find a quaint little town called Buena Vista, aka, ‘Bewnie’. Every Sunday in the summer, the farmer’s market gives everyone the chance to buy the many blessings of Coloradan agriculture. Nearby, the locals congregate and fish at the town lake.

Take a short walk down Buena Vista’s Main Street and enjoy its food trucks, wine bar, infamous doughnuts and much more. If you want to start the day with a cup of locally roasted coffee, stop by the Roastery. There is a distinct taste in the cup of joe that you can only find when you’re in the castles of Buena Vista’s Rocky Mountains.

Due to human err, if you forgot to pack outdoor gear for the trip, head over to the State Highway Department. Not only can you buy any gear you need, but you benefit from the stop by grabbing lunch or frozen yogurt on the other side of the department building.

Need a snazzy swimsuit for one of the hot springs in the area? No worries, on Main Street, you can stop in to CKS and purchase any of their qualitative in stock assortments of swimwear. You will also come to find their rafting, kayaking, and paddleboarding essentials that will make to be great additions to your highly anticipated trip to this charming little town.

So, if you’re trying to figure out what to do on a dull weekend, why not take the time to drive the three hours it takes to find yourself in one of Colorado’s little gems like Buena Vista?

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3D Scan

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3D Scans

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Cash Not Cans: Feeling Secure About a Solution to Food Insecurity

There has been abundant research conducted about the paradoxical link between inadequate access to food (food insecurity) and the increased risk of obesity. Despite the ample time and resources spent researching the food insecurity obesity paradox, there is no clear and definite solution on how to create easier access to healthy foods in our low-income communities.

As the Program Manager of a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Food Pantry, I am proposing that we may better combat obesity amongst our disadvantaged populations by providing healthier food choices at local food pantries, whose clientele is predominately low-income households, the demographic most prone to obesity (Levine, par. 3).

This solution could be addressed by an increased call to action about the importance of making monetary donations rather than food donations to your local food pantry. An increase in monetary donations would allow food pantries to have access to purchasing fresh produce, meat, dairy, and whole grains rather than relying heavily on food donations, which are largely processed and nutrient-void; other benefits of cash donations include the ability to increase the capacity for purchasing fresh food in bulk, tailoring the offering to culturally responsive choices for clients, and the ability to hire and educate paid employees.

How does Emergency Food work?

            In order to further discuss the importance of addressing obesity amongst food insecure populations by providing local food pantries with cash donations, one must first understand how the emergency food system works (Campbell, Ross & Webb, par. 4).

Most regional food banks participate in a national network, Feeding America, which “functions as a hub for procuring food through partnerships with national manufacturers and distributors, government commodity programs, retail partners, farmers and through purchases funded by grant money or individual donors” (Cooksey, par. 11).

Food is then sent on to food bank partners where it is later distributed to local food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, shelters, and other emergency food programs.  This system allows food banks to sell these “commodity goods” to food pantries and other non-profit organizations for a very small per pound maintenance fee (Chapnick, par. 11).

Despite common misconception, discounted government commodity goods often consist of foods that rate higher on the Healthy Eating Index than the average American diet and there are growing efforts to make these commodity items culturally responsive, meaning they are more likely to be utilized by clients from varying demographics (Chapnick, par. 5).

For example, commodity goods include fresh and canned produce, meat/poultry/fish, whole grains and dairy, all of which are available at a heavily discounted rate. Though this model was originally created to meet emergency situations, a growing number of Americans are relying on food pantries as a regular source of food (Cooksey, par. 13).

Idea of Cash Donations

In this proposal, we will be focusing on how cash donations to local food pantries make purchasing healthy food options from both government commodity programs and private retailers more accessible, thus increasing the likelihood that clients will make healthier food choices. In addition to discussing the benefits of purchasing goods, we will also weigh the benefits of how monetary donations increase the opportunities for food pantries to purchase healthy foods in bulk, how increased cash flow allows food pantries to tailor to their demographic’s cultural needs, and how hiring paid staff positively affects the food pantry’s ability to create a clear plan towards creating a more healthful culture.

Monetary Donations

            Monetary donations to local food pantries not only allow the organization to purchase fresh energy-dense foods but because of programs in place to make healthy foods affordable for emergency food assistance agencies (food pantries, shelters, seniors centers, etc.), cash donations allow food pantries to purchase much morefood than the general public could purchase for the same price.

In some areas of the country, it is estimated that for every $10 worth of food purchased and donated to food pantries, the organization could have purchased $200 worth of goods (Cohen, par. 5). This means that for the cost of a few canned goods at your local grocery store, a food pantry could purchase more than 600lbs of dried pintos beans, which are not only a healthy energy-dense food but also a staple amongst Latinx communities, a marginalized demographic most likely to be affect by food insecurity in the U.S. (Feeding America, par. 5).

In a National Post article titled “Help the Poor: Stop Donating Cans” the author matter-of-factly states, “Even the most skilled shopper must appreciate that however many cans of tuna they can buy, a food bank would probably have been able to buy five times as many.”

Since this is a proposal of both frugality and health, we must recognize that canned tuna is an excellent lean source of protein and an ever-sought-after item at your local food pantry. Food pantries aren’t limited to stocking up on healthy pantry staples, like pinto beans and tuna, for much more discounted rate than the average shopper, they can also purchase fresh produce for pennies on the dollar.

It is common practice for produce warehouses and grocery stores to sell their produce to food pantries for around 20 cents per pound (Wiles, par.9). Katrina Rosqueta, the Executive Director at The Center for High Impact Philanthropy, confirms “[It’s] nutritious food that for whatever reason can’t be used at the store, at the restaurant or at the supplier, but can be nutritious food for a family in your community who doesn’t know where the next meal is going to come from.” (Wiles, par. 10). This ability to purchase healthy non-perishables and fresh produce in bulk, is only possible through the cash donations that food pantries receive from philanthropic community members.

Another benefit to an increase in monetary donations is the ability to meet each local food pantries’ cultural needs. As mentioned earlier, Latinx immigrants are suffering from the highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S., and this is coupled with the fact that immigrant families are also facing growing cases of chronic health conditions.

A 2017 study affirms, “Although immigrants often arrive in better health and with more healthful diets than native-born U.S. residents, their body mass index increases over time and, along with it, their risk for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension” (Cordeiro, par. 7). Though many factors exist between the correlation of food insecurity and obesity in immigrants, there is research concluding that limited access to “healthful, culturally acceptable foods” is a contributing factor (Cordeira, par. 11). When food pantries have more cash in the bank, they can purchase goods that meet the dietary and cultural preferences of their clients. In yet another 2017 study on the factors affecting food pantry clients’ access to healthy foods, researchers concluded that “Client Preferences” were a large factor in why clients make choices against certain unfamiliar produce options (Chapnick, par. 15).

One participant in this study confirmed, “There’s a lot of resistance any time we get new produce, and the clients may not know what it is, [or how to prepare it]”. Of course, this is an opportunity to educate clients on how to prepare new foods, but education should occur while simultaneously offering produce items that are familiar to the food pantry’s predominant demographic. Cash donations allow food pantries the flexibility to offer their client’s culturally responsive food items while supplementing with produce donations from grocery stores and the community, rather than relying solely on these often American-diet focused food donations.

Lastly, we will discuss how monetary donations create the opportunity for food pantries to hire and educate paid staff. The author of an article titled “How Do Non-Profit Employees Get Paid?” states their point frankly, “The bottom line is that non-profit founders and employees are paid from the gross revenues of the organization” and non-profit organizations get their revenue from donations and grants (Morris, par. 11, 15). 

Without monetary donations, non-profits organizations such as your local food pantry, cannot hire paid employees and thus rely on volunteers to operate the organization. The benefits of a non-profit organization having paid employees rather than being entirely volunteer-operated are abundant, but for the sake of this proposal we will focus on how the presence of paid staff can positively impact client nutrition.

In order to operate a food pantry that is focused on providing healthy options for their clients, there must be clear policies and procedures in place regarding the organization’s mission to improve the nutritional quality of their offerings. Policy and procedural changes are largely created and implemented by employees of an agency, rather than volunteer “staff”.

By having the ability to hire paid staff, an organization can define clear goals and implement plans for improving the quality of the food that is offered to clients. In addition to creating dedicated paid-staff opportunities, monetary donations could also be used to educate staff members about general nutrition.

A recent study concluded a factor affecting food pantries provision of healthy food is “pantry staff nutrition knowledge is often incorrect of incomplete.” (Chapnnick, par. 58). When food pantries can hire employees who are dedicated to a mission of health and are provided with the educational resources to implement policies and procedures to create actionable change, the agency is far more likely to see consistent improvements in their mission to improve the quality of the food that is offered.

It’s Complicated

The prevalence of obesity amongst low-income households is a complicated issue to untangle. My proposal to encourage society to support their food pantries by making cash donations rather than food donations is undoubtedly not the ultimate solution to a very complex systemic issue, but I believe that advocacy for increased cash flow could help agencies empower their clients to make healthy choices.

Though monetary donations may not be the only way to solve the food insecurity obesity paradox, they are one way to aid food pantries in offering the most healthful environment as possible by making healthy options available and culturally relevant, while also giving food pantries the ability to hire and educate staff.

Bibliography

Chapnick, Melissa, et al. “Healthy Options in Food Pantries—a Qualitative Analysis of Factors Affecting the Provision of Healthy Food Items in St. Louis, Missouri.” Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, vol. 14, no. 1-2, 2017, pp. 262–280., https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2017.1284027. 

Cohen, Neal and Katherina Rosqueta. “A Case for Cash, Instead of Cans.” CPR News, 22 Nov. 2011

“Compensation for Nonprofit Employees.” National Council of Nonprofits, 2 Sept. 2020, https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/compensation-nonprofit-employees. 

Cooksey Stowers, Kristen, et al. “The Hunger-Obesity Paradox: Exploring Food Banking System Characteristics and Obesity Inequities among Food-Insecure Pantry Clients.” PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 10, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239778. 

Cordeiro, L. S., et al. “Healthful, Cultural Foods and Safety Net Use among Cambodian and Brazilian Immigrant Communities in Massachusetts.” Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 20, no. 4, 2017, pp. 991–999., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0607-3. 

Elizabeth Catherine Campbell, Michelle Ross & Karen L. Webb (2013) Improving the Nutritional Quality of Emergency Food: A Study of Food Bank Organizational Culture, Capacity and Practices, Journal or Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 8:3, 261-280

“Latino Communities Experience Hunger at a Much Higher Rate.” Feeding America, https:/www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/latino-hunger-facts

Levine, James A. “Poverty and Obesity in the U.S.” Diabetes, American Diabetes Association,1. Nov. 2011, https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/60/11/2667.

Hopper, Tristin. “Help the Poor, Stop Donating Cans.” The National Post, 12 Dec. 2018. 

Morris, Tracy, “How Do Non-Profit Business Owners Get Paid?” The Blue Heart Foundation, 31 Mar. 2020, https://theblueheartfoundation.org/how-non-profit-business-owners-get-paid/. 

Wiles, Katherine. “The Most Effective Way to Give This Holiday Season.” Marketplace, 25 Nov. 2020, https://www.marketplace.org/2020/11/25/most-effective-way-to-donate-this-holiday-season/. 

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Bring a Good Camera and Wear the Right Shoes: Lessons from a Protest

A tear-gas canister skidded across the worn concrete and stopped at my feet. “I did not wear the right shoes for this,” I thought. There was no time for me to react as the yellowish fumes cloaked the air around me.  My eyes felt as though they were on fire, my mask trapping the fumes in my nose and mouth. I pulled my mask off, but the effects had already begun to take over.

I fell to my knees as tears fell from my eyes. A reaction to the tear gas? Or an emotional response to experiencing police brutality for the very first time? For days, violent clashes between Black Lives Matter protestors and the Denver police plagued downtown Denver in late May 2020, leaving the streets littered with battered traffic cones, abandoned masks, rubber bullets, and tear-gas canisters.

Growing up in the south, I was no stranger to the realities of the institutionalized racism and discrimination our minority communities face on a regular basis.  My small town of McKinney Texas was good to me in a lot of ways – the summer rains that I still yearn for to this day, the abundance of sweet honeysuckle come spring, and the love and support I felt from the only community I had ever known. But as that small town country girl grew, so did my awareness of the lingering effects of slavery and centuries of oppression that were haunting the lives of people I grew up alongside. I moved to Colorado in 2018 in hopes of leaving behind racist ideologies that I naively believed were only found in pockets of the deep south. 

On May 25th, 2020, that belief was shattered when three officers took the life of George Floyd in broad daylight in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The killing of George Floyd sparked a historical moment in the fight for equality that gained widespread international support. It was evident that the struggles of racism and police brutality were not specific to the small Texas town I was raised in.

Worldwide protests against police brutality forced citizens and governments to confront histories of systematic racism. Cries for help to end the justifications of white supremacy were heard around the world and Denver residents responded. Just two days after the death of George Floyd, thousands of protestors flooded the streets of downtown Denver.

As the crowd wove in and out of my sleepy Capitol Hill neighborhood, hoisting signs made from old moving boxes reading “No Justice. No Peace” and “Black Lives Matter,” I grabbed my backpack, scurried down my steps and found myself right in the middle of what would soon be one of the largest protests in Colorado history.

After hours of marching through the streets of Denver, protesters began to settle near and around the city’s Capitol building. Mothers and fathers sat quietly with their children as demonstrators pleaded for change. Volunteers with water and hand sanitizer shifted through the crowd. Men fell to their knees in tears, begging for a safer life. The evening was coming to an emotional but peaceful end for all of us.

To our surprise, Denver police officers in riot gear, holding guns loaded with rubber bullets and tear-gas, began to approach the gathered protestors from behind. Without warning, officers began throwing metal canisters into the crowd. Echoes of rubber bullets and screams permeated the gas-filled air as demonstrators choked on the toxic fumes while scrambling to find their loved ones.

I felt like what I was witnessing deserved to be captured. Over the course of the final days of the protests, pockets that previously filled with eyewash, Band-Aids, and extra masks were stuffed to the brim with rolls of 35mm film. I have always been a lover of photography. Although I have no formal training and the viewfinder on my Nikon has never worked, the only thing I could do was cry as I shuffled through the developed photos I had taken. It took me back to the days of protesting when the images were shot, reminding me of how profoundly transformative it was for me, for everyone, to have bonded with this community in times of conflict and mourning.

I attended every protest for the next two weeks, observing the ebb and flow of emotions felt by fellow protestors. A movement fueled by unbelievable sadness and solidarity turned into an explosive expression of anger and hurt until finally settling into a celebration of culture and community. African dance circles began popping up all around Civic Center Park, volunteers were seen passing out essential items to the homeless population who were caught in the crossfire, and the air that was once consumed with toxic gas was soon replaced with rhythmic melodies and burning sage. I decided to divert from my new protest morning routine and shoved my 1973 Nikon film camera into my backpack before setting out for the Capitol yet again in the hope of making sense of what I was witnessing.

This little girl from Texas had finally begun to understand the importance of blending the love and support she felt in that sleepy southern town and the frustrations that grew from opening her eyes to the racial injustices of the world.

The marriage between compassion and action is essential to true change, especially for those of us who are navigating this movement as an ally. I hope these photos encourage activists to keep pushing forward on this long journey towards racial equality. I also hope that these images resonate with those who have misconceptions surrounding these protests and those who have chosen to participate. Defenders of equality look like our children, they look like our mothers, our fathers, our educators, our neighbors, our friends.  They look like me. And they look like you.

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Twitch Side Hustles

Mischa livestreams to a social media site called “Twitch” and it is full of live streamers doing a wide range of activities. The site has different categories; like gaming, artwork, chatting, jewelry, music, vlogging, etc. Mischa streams Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm est.

Mischa primarily does game while talking to her viewers. She also discusses LGBTQ+ issues and interests frequently, as both she and most of her viewers are a part of that community. Mischa’s online screen name, Mischacrossing, is based on the classic Nintendo franchise. She fondly remembers her humble beginnings enjoying the game before beginning her streaming career.

 “[M]y username on Twitch is [a] play on words of my favorite Nintendo franchise of all time and what has gotten me into streaming in the first place. [T]hanks to the good old days while I was on Tumblr and I was, and still am, obsessed with a game called Animal Crossing.”

Back between 2013 and 2015, Mischa would spend hours on Tumblr looking at things on Animal Crossing forums to get inspiration for the respective games with her friend Sarah. Sarah was also a streamer of the game before Mischa, which led to the latter’s initial interest. Mischa then began live streaming herself on YouTube in 2016 when the feature launched on the site. From there, her community seemed to grow overnight. Many people were able to meet and bond over their mutual love of Animal Crossing thanks to Mischa’s work. However, as the years have gone by, she has delved into different games, expanding her horizons as a streamer, and expanding her community. Much has changed since 2016, but Mischa is much the same. Streaming does not feel like a chore to her still.

 “[S]ince I have had this job, it is easy to get burned out and tired of playing games you’ve played over and over again online, but the thing that will never get boring is the amazing friendships and conversations I get to have with my friends on a weekly basis.”

Dyllon, who is also a live streamer on Twitch, speaks about his lifelong struggles with mental health. Dyllon live streams from Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1 pm to 8 pm cst. He helps his followers feel less alone with their struggles and encourages people to get professional help with their issues because he is not a licensed professional. He highlights the more taxing aspects of such a personal profession:

“Streaming is very fun when you don’t think about the number of people who follow you but it’s always in the back of your mind nagging you to do your absolute best. It is kind of a double-edged sword. If you focus on your numbers and they are normally low, you will start to doubt yourself. If you notice your numbers are high, you will feel the need to overwork yourself and not focus on what you want to do. It’s a complicated cycle.”

In comparison to Mischa, his desired area of discussion can be more challenging, though he still does stream his favorite game. Dyllon is a part of an online community that has a group of people talking about mental health just like him. They are called “HeartSupport.”  

“The reason my main focus is mental health is not only because I love helping people, I just want to share my experiences to people and let them know they’re not alone and it’s an integral part of my life that I am struggling with. It’s the only personal part of my life I like sharing because the rest of it is just downright depressing.”

He began to tell me how he got into streaming as well, he mentioned that he knows the same Sarah Mischa knows, Sarah was also the one who got him into streaming. He used to be in her evening streaming almost every night she streamed, but sadly he does not see her as much because of differing schedules. Back in the day, his username on twitch was different from what it is now; it was Gooperatives (pronounced *Go- Operatives) Everyone; me included called him Goop. But around the same time, I discovered his streams, he changed his username to fit his real name, DyllonKG.

“the reason I changed my name from Gooperatives to DyllonKG was because the name just didn’t suit me anymore and back then when I had that username, I was more abrasive, brash and very rude. But over the years I have learned to be patient with other people and myself. More importantly, I have learned to trust people more and let people in.”

Throughout all the years I have known Mischa and Dyllon, they have been extraordinary individuals. They have remained true to themselves and continued to cultivate their own communities and have done wonderful things online and offline. I have learned more about myself when I am with them. I am one of the people that Dyllon has helped when it comes to talking about mental health struggles, he has given me so much coping mechanisms and good one-on-one talks about how I am not alone and much more. Mischa and her community have helped me feel less alone as well! All the people in are just like me they are part of the LGBTQ+ community and I can relate to what they are going through. I love my chosen family.

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TikTok: It is more than just dancing videos

Wearing a sloth floating suit, she opened the camera application on her iPhone 8plus. Once she had all the proper settings on, she placed it on the dining table and pushed the record button. And without putting much effort into it, she started lip-syncing to an audio that had already been recorded by another TikToker.

Boglarka “Bogi” Virag, a thirty-year-old Hungarian woman and CCD student, discovered TikTok as a new social media platform to express her personality and creativity. While it only started as a way for her to connect with her little sister, TikTok became the “go-to” app for entertainment.

“I wanted to connect with my little sister at first, then I stopped doing it, and heard about it again from my roommate…. I got obsessed and literally, laughing my ass off watching the videos, and then I started making my own,” Bogi explained.

TikTok is a widely popular video-sharing app that used to be called Musical.ly. According to teen vogue, this app has surpassed Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat just a year after it was launched, with more than one billion downloads worldwide.

According to Oberlo.com, TikTok aims to “capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone.” Data on wallaroomedia.com shows that TikTok has over 1 billion users and that the app is opened by users 8 times per day on average. It is also mentioned that about 83% of TikTok users have posted at least one video, as of February 2020.

Today, Bogi has 3,912 followers and 13.4K likes on her videos. Despite the high number of followers and likes she has gathered; she does not plan on taking her TikTok experience to the professional level. She feels that becoming a professional “TikToker” would add too much pressure and take away some of the fun she has while making the videos.

Since she does not personally know many of her followers, she feels that she can be whoever she wants and enjoy acting and role-playing videos on TikTok. A big advantage of TikTok according to Bogi is an opportunity to network depending on your field of work. She made connections with different people from different places.

Another way of connecting with other people is by going live on TikTok. “As soon as you hit a thousand followers, you can start a live stream and communicate with them. I sometimes even asked for their Snapchat or Instagram tag,” Bogi explained. “There are ways to make money on TikTok,” Bogi mentioned.

Although she is still unclear on how that system works, she mentioned that many do it by adding their Venmo account in their account bio. Some companies that sell products or people who sell services have also started to promote their products through the app. They usually do so by putting up their advertisement videos or by having well-known actresses or actors help promote through their personal TikTok accounts.

When she first discovered TikTok, Bogi thought it was an app for young people only. However, she soon realized that there are users from various age ranges. In her opinion, TikTok is heading to be the biggest social media platform. Based on a survey done by Pew Research Center in July 2019, about 40% of TikTok users are between the ages of 10 and 19, 26.1% are between  20 and 29 years old, 10.2% are between 30 and 39, and 16.8% are between 40 and 49 years old.

A survey regarding TikTok use was also conducted at the Community College of Denver. A total of 15 were asked whether they have the app downloaded on their phones. Seven of them said that they have downloaded TikTok and four out of the seven students also said that they make videos on it. Eight students out of the 15, said that they do not have TikTok downloaded but they watch it through Instagram or the TikTok videos compilation on YouTube.

Generation Z was born with new media evolving and improving. They know a lot about new upgrades and what’s ‘popping.’ “People want to see live videos, Instagram stories, Snapchat, and TikTok. They don’t want to sit and read captions,” Bogi said. Walking towards the modern era, people are more into video forms.

Bogi believes that for anyone looking to make it big in the media industry, platforms like TikTok is a place to start establishing an online presence and build an army of followers, that will also follow you when it’s time for bigger platform such as YouTube or even national TV.

“I gained followers on my photography Instagram account because of TikTok. I linked my Instagram account on TikTok, and people started to see my artworks,” Bogi shared. For her, it is not about making money on TikTok, but it is about how you make connection, promote your profile, express yourself, and build an audience.