菠萝视频

Sick and tired of how people try to portray themselves on social media? 菠萝视频 University student and entrepreneur Larissa May spearheads a social media campaign aimed at helping people tell their true stories.

May says we are in a love-hate relationship with social media.聽鈥淏ecause social media is so powerful, it鈥檚 the exponential word of mouth,” she said.

The Chicago native is encouraging people to peel back the layers of their social media image and share authentic stories through an and hashtag campaign called .

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is challenge individuals to share the things that they鈥檙e actually passionate about and that actually connect them to other people,” giving them a platform to be creative and sincere,聽May explained. 鈥淭he people who are part of the community are creating it, and that鈥檚 the best part. We鈥檙e promoting real human connection. Crazy, right?鈥�

May came up with the #halfthestory idea while juggling the stresses of school and a she launched in her first year at 菠萝视频.聽鈥淚 still post fashion photos, but I feel more honest in my captions,鈥� she said.

She鈥檚 also connecting schoolwork with her budding business.

鈥淚 came into 菠萝视频 as a Human and Organizational Development major, which was amazing. I loved it and learned a lot of fundamental ideas,鈥� May said.

When her blog started gaining traction, she expanded her classes.

鈥淚 went and designed a major called Creative Strategy, Marketing and Communications. It’s a combination of arts, business, managerial, economics and HOD,鈥� she said.

May is applying all aspects of her studies to her business.

鈥淭eachers were very open to it because they were so happy to see that I wasn鈥檛 waiting four years to use what they were teaching me. I was going to class and then going outside and using those tools,鈥� she said.

May even found ways to adapt her study abroad.

鈥淚 turned my abroad experience essentially into an international business trip. I made it a goal that every city I went to or visited I would do work. For example, for Paris fashion week I covered street style for the fashion blog Look Book.鈥�

May says sharing the hard work behind her juggle of school and work through #halfthestory keeps her grounded and connected.

鈥淏eing able to feel like other people are finding purpose in this small movement is life-changing,” she said. “It gives me life every day.鈥�