Magazine-Winter-2025 - Flipbook - Page 55
BAM A P EO P L E
than how to pose for a camera.
It revealed her gift for storytelling,
branding and connecting with
others. It’s a combination that
now drives her entrepreneurial
and philanthropic work.
“I didn’t set out to go viral,”
she said. “I was just sharing
my experience. I realized people
wanted to see true, authentic
people on social media. They
wanted to see real college life
and not just the highlight reel.”
Authenticity became her brand.
Between classes, sorority events
and her job at the Speaking Studio
on campus, Rose learned to
manage partnerships, deadlines
and content calendars while
staying true to herself.
“It taught me time management,
professionalism and confidence,”
she said. “At first, I felt pressure
to be someone else online, but
then I reminded myself that people
started following me because I was
me.”
That same philosophy of being
unapologetically herself inspired
her next big step of launching
Rose poses with her Phi Mu sisters outside the sorority’s house on campus.
Blooming
Boldly
W
hen Shelby Rose
packed her bags
for Tuscaloosa,
she expected
a few surprises.
What she didn’t expect was for
millions of people to start watching
her every move online.
The public relations major
from Quincy, Illinois, became an
unexpected face of Bama Rush,
the viral social media phenomenon
that swept across TikTok in 2022.
It gave outsiders a peek into
sorority recruitment at The
University of Alabama.
“I remember driving down
to move in, and my phone just
stopped working,” Rose said.
“All these notifications were
coming in. Suddenly, I was getting
emails from brands like Amazon
Prime Student and Keurig. It was
overwhelming. It was also exciting.”
Almost overnight, Rose went
from small-town college freshman
to social media standout. The
experience taught her more
WINTER 2025
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