Miami’s social media scene fuels a new wave of FIU student success.
Gabriella Mateo | Staff Writer
At Florida International University, social media has become a growing career option for students looking for unconventional routes to success, with various students growing their followings to over 100,000.
Due to the university’s ideal Miami location, FIU was ranked the ninth-most Instagrammed university in the nation at the beginning of 2026, with over 1.3 million posts featuring the campus, and students are utilizing this head start.
“FIU represents opportunity and diversity. It’s a place where students come from different backgrounds but share the same drive to build something for themselves,” said Valeria Collazo, a recent graduate with over 110,000 followers on Instagram.
Collazo earned a bachelor’s degree in 2024 from FIU in business administration and marketing and is currently pursuing an MBA in sports management with the Real Madrid Graduate School and FIU.
“Social media is more than just posting. It’s strategy, branding, analytics, and storytelling. Like any career, it requires discipline, consistency, and skill, but its impact and value are very real,” said Collazo on criticisms of her profession.
She joins a community of FIU Alumni who have found success online, including Mr. Eats305, also known as George Arango, a 2015 graduate who has accumulated over 315,000 followers through his posts about the Miami food scene, and Laura Vila, a 2016 graduate who is a lifestyle content creator with over 105,000 followers.
Armaan Talreja is another FIU student who has found his success online and has grown his following to over 145,000. Throughout his time as an international business major, Talreja has consistently promoted Panther life through his ‘Day in the Life as an FIU student’ reels, which have garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Taljera found a community through the FIU Creators Program, which encourages students to transform their Panther pride into online stardom.
“I realized content creation wasn’t just about posting, but about building community, sharing perspective, and creating experiences people can connect with,” said Collazo as her inspiration for content creation.
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