TL;DR
A New York Times report published Nov. 15 profiles Haley DeKreek, a 20-year-old University of Arizona junior whose sorority-life videos have drawn more than 45,000 TikTok followers. DeKreek says brand partnerships now pay for personal expenses, though the report does not detail her total earnings or the terms of her deals.
A New York Times profile published Nov. 15 examines how Haley DeKreek, a 20-year-old University of Arizona junior, has built a TikTok audience of more than 45,000 followers by posting videos connected to sorority life and beauty routines. DeKreek says paid brand deals and product gifts have turned her social media activity into a source of income, making her a visible example of how campus life can also serve as an influencer’s workplace.
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DeKreek lives in the University of Arizona’s Alpha Phi sorority house, where the report describes a professionally decorated Spanish colonial-style mansion near campus. The house’s common spaces and DeKreek’s room provide settings for content, including the “get ready with me” videos she has posted since her first year, when she rushed sororities.
The report says DeKreek has a Los Angeles talent manager and several paid brand partnerships. She said her largest deal was worth $3,000. The article also describes a mailroom with packages of clothes, makeup, hair products and skin care; some were purchased by DeKreek, while others were sent by brands interested in her potential as a creator.
DeKreek said her influencer income now covers her shopping, food, vacations and beauty services. She studies retail and consumer science through an entirely online program and told the Times she does not attend classes in person. The report connects her current work to an interest in recording videos and playing with makeup that she says began in childhood.
When Sorority Life Becomes Work
DeKreek’s story shows how a student’s everyday routines can become both social media content and commercial inventory. A sorority house, beauty routine or outfit can appear to viewers as personal documentation while also providing a setting for brand exposure. The profile describes that overlap through DeKreek’s audience, product mail and paid partnerships, rather than treating influencer work as separate from her college life.
For readers interested in creator culture, the reported details offer a concrete view of what a small-scale influencer career can involve: an audience of tens of thousands, a talent manager, gifted products and deals that can reach several thousand dollars. At the same time, the available account does not establish that those earnings are typical of student creators or show how predictable the income is. DeKreek’s experience is one reported example, not a measure of the broader market.
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From First-Year Videos to Deals
The Times reports that DeKreek began sharing “get ready with me” videos during her first year at Arizona, around the time she was going through sorority recruitment. The format follows a person preparing for an event or day, often while showing makeup, clothes or other products. In DeKreek’s case, the content draws on routines and surroundings that are part of her student life.
The report also describes an academic arrangement that fits around her online work: DeKreek’s major is entirely online. It does not say that influencing was the reason she chose the program or explain how she balances coursework with content production. Her early interest in making videos, which she traces to childhood activities with her mother’s makeup and slime-making, provides personal background for a career that now includes sponsorships.
““I love being a girl.””
— Haley DeKreek, as quoted in The New York Times
The Limits of the Earnings Picture
The report gives the value of DeKreek’s largest brand deal as $3,000, but the available source material does not specify when the deal occurred, how many other paid partnerships she has completed, or how often she receives them. It also does not provide her total annual income, expenses, audience engagement figures or the terms of her contracts. Her statement that the work pays for several personal expenses is attributed to her and is not accompanied by a financial breakdown.
It is also unclear how much time she spends producing, editing and negotiating content, or whether her audience has grown since the report was published. The source does not identify the brands involved or explain whether any particular products were featured in paid posts. The profile’s account should not be taken as evidence that other students with similar follower counts receive comparable offers or income.
The Creator Career on Campus
The source is a published profile, not an announcement of a new partnership, platform change or university policy. It does not report a scheduled next step for DeKreek’s work. The immediate development is the Times’ account of her creator business and its place in her college routine; no future deal or career milestone is confirmed in the material provided.
Further details that would clarify the business side include how DeKreek’s partnerships are structured, how consistently she earns from them and whether she plans to continue influencing after college. The report also leaves open how she views the relationship between sponsored content and personal posts as her audience and work develop.
Key Questions
Who is Haley DeKreek?
Haley DeKreek is a 20-year-old junior at the University of Arizona and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, according to the New York Times profile.
How many TikTok followers does she have?
The report says DeKreek has more than 45,000 followers. It gives that figure in the profile but does not provide a later update or follower-growth timeline.
How much does she earn from brand deals?
DeKreek told the Times that her biggest paid brand deal was worth $3,000. The article does not state her total earnings or provide a typical rate for her other deals.
What does DeKreek study?
She studies retail and consumer science through an entirely online program, the report says. It notes that she does not attend classes in person.
Source: nytimes.com
