INTERVIEW: Lifelong Hamptonite And Senior At Columbia University, Gabriela Vascimini, Shares Her Experience Becoming A Tik Tok And Social Media Sensation

Gabriela Vascimini, born in Manhattan and raised in the Connecticut suburbs, was an accomplished visual artist from a young age, spending most of her time in the studio of Sacred Heart Rye Country Day School where she was awarded the Creative Writing Prize for her cross-disciplinary work in poetry, fiction, and art history. Her work was exhibited in the school’s gallery and throughout campus, for which she was given the Hannah and Ryan Barry Memorial Art Award.

Whether writing an experimental pilot for a television show set in Ancient Egypt or designing a cosmetics ad campaign featuring Italian Renaissance portraiture, Gabriela found her creative niche and excelled, awarded an Honorable Mention in the competitive category of rhyming poetry in the Writer’s Digest 86th Annual Writing Competition. The summer after her sophomore year of high school, she spent a couple of weeks in Providence at Summer at Brown studying Ancient Greek Theater. The next summer, she attended the Teen Summer Conservatory at the NYC Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop in Gambier, Ohio.

During her senior year, Gabriela embarked on an independent study project, a four hundred page full-length drama set in NYC detailing the lives of fictional art collectors and their intriguing lives, referencing real-life infamous masterpieces and well-researched art history. The following summer, Gabriela taught American History to elementary students at the Square House Museum in Rye, New York, leading her students in activities emulating the artistic style of different time periods as a way to promote a deeper understanding and connection to the museum’s historical pieces.

Now a senior at Columbia University majoring in Creative Writing and Art History, Gabriela hopes to further explore the intersections of visual art, literature, and archeology while pursuing her writing career as a novelist. She is currently working on a highly anticipated historical fiction dark comedy take on the classic crime thriller that aims to excite young readers about art history.

In addition, Gabriela is a popular Tik Tok creator and YouTube vlogger, creating content surrounding her fabulous NYC lifestyle, fashion, and comedy for an audience of over 100,000, always taking time to share her effective advice to her younger fans with applying to college in mind. Her first Tik Tok in October of 2019 immediately blew up getting around 400,000 views. Since then, she has collaborated with brands such as Dermalogica, Sally Hershberger, Banza Pasta, Truly Beauty, Amanda Uprichard, Touchland, and more. Her videos have been utilized for outlets like Betches’ Off Campus and Barstool Sports, amassing over 5 million total likes.

Her online prominence serves as a modern oasis for a much needed refined image of Manhattan’s elite. At first, her content was mostly comedy sketches and relatable bits about living in the city, but now her page is filled with more vlog-style content and restaurant reviews. Her ‘Day in My Life’ Tik Tok series consists of trendy café visits, Fifth Avenue shopping sprees, and healthy meals amidst her busy schedule of class and work.

She’s regularly compared to Gossip Girl‘s Blair Waldorf as she galavants around Columbia’s campus and the Hamptons in gorgeous LoveShackFancy skirts, silk headbands from Bergdorf Goodman, and Prada handbags. Her aspirational content has developed a cult following of loyal admirers giving people across the world a peek into what life in New York City and as a student in an Ivy League is like. Gabriela founded and now hosts an arts and culture podcast titled Uptown Gab. Her most recent episodes focus on her favorite art canvases in galleries, best musical tunes, and the latest fashion/style trends.

Prior to her becoming a social media sensation, she was dominating in the editorial medium, known for writing weekly comedic articles covering the fourteenth season of The Bachelorette, which became the most widely read television coverage on the Her Campus global media website. Her role included tweeting a live recap of each episode to the publications verified Twitter audience of over 40,000 people, attending official press conferences, and interviewing the cast.

Gabriela’s writing experience also includes publishing articles for Guest of a Guest as a Marketing Intern and as a Junior Copywriter for interior design company Dormify for over a year before becoming a Mentor & Content Creator for Bullseye Admissions. Her connections with former admissions officers and college advisors make her the go-to online reference for those looking to maximize their admission chances. She’s an instructor at Today au Musée, a summer art history program for the creative and curious young minds to cultivate and foster a passion for artistic manifestations from international cultures, where she teaches weekly sessions along with other leading art history students from the nation’s top universities.

On top of her already impressive resume, Gabriela currently serves as a Brand Marketing Manager for Zfluence, the first digital solution that connects companies directly with Gen-Z influencers who love their products and want to promote them authentically to their social media audience. She’s the Editor-in-Chief of their blog, ZHQ, which highlights their impressive roster of Gen Z influencers with exclusive interviews and social media tips/guides.

I had the opportunity to speak with the talented writer, content creator, and influencer to discover how she manages her well-to-do lifestyle as a full-time college student while also becoming a social media star.

Congratulations on reaching your senior year at Columbia University! That’s an incredible accomplishment. What is your major and how has your time there been?

GV: Thank you! I’m majoring in Creative Writing and concentrating in Art History. I’ve absolutely loved my time at Columbia–I’ve gotten to take exciting classes such as The Modern Arts Writer and The Craft of Writing Dialogue, as well as gotten the chance to work on my first novel in fiction workshops. I’m so thankful for all of my writing and art history professors, I truly have learned so much from them and they always make class–even over Zoom–exciting. Also, I love being in school in the city: from field trips to museums to getting to go downtown with friends on the weekends, there’s always so much to do. If I ever get writer’s block, I head to The Met, or the Museum of Natural History, or sometimes the Central Park Zoo, and walk around until inspiration strikes.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to grow on Tik Tok as successfully as you have?

GV: This might sound clichéd, but consistency is key! It’s so hard to pinpoint exactly what type of video will do well on Tik Tok, so the most important thing is to stick to a consistent posting schedule. I try to post everyday, or every other day. It also helps to pick a theme for your account–mine is New York City! Everything I post, whether it’s a style video or cooking video, I try to connect back to the city.

What are your future career plans? Do you intend on continuing your podcast Uptown Gab after you graduate?

GV: I’m not sure what my future career plans are yet! I’m passionate about so many things, especially writing, and I haven’t figured out exactly what I want to do yet. Getting to build and develop my personal brand on Tik Tok has definitely made me realize that one of those things is advertising and marketing, and I’m definitely looking forward to exploring those fields after graduation. Right now, I’m about two-thirds of the way through season one of my podcast. I love getting to sit down with a different guest each week and talk about all things art and culture in New York City, and I’ll definitely miss it if I stopped recording. I definitely have plans for season two, but I’m still deciding what will happen after that! Currently, I’m working on my first book–a crime novel. That book is like my baby and definitely my number one priority at the moment writing-wise. Although I might have a middle-grade series in the works, too, for my younger followers…

Have you ever been to the Hamptons? If so, what are your favorite spots to dine, relax, and shop?

GV: Yes, I’ve been going to the Hamptons since I was a baby! It’s so nice to escape the city, especially now. Most recently, two of my best friends, Carrie Berk and Brooke Annarella, and I headed out east to do some apple and pumpkin picking at Hank’s Pumpkintown. Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at Sant Ambroeus, one of our favorite spots in the city and in the Hamptons. For shopping, we usually find ourselves at the same stores as in the city–like Intermix and Alice & Olivia. Still, I always love discovering boutiques and finding unique pieces that you can’t find anywhere else.

You can request to follow her private Instagram, @gabrielavasci, which boats over 24,000 followers to be up to date on her lavish life updates, latest podcast episodes, and various other activations. You can watch her viral videos Another Day In My Life In The Hamptons – The Perfect Fall Day and Come Pumpkin Picking In The Hamptons on her verified Tik Tok account @gab_nyc. Her podcast, Uptown Gab, is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Podcast Co.