By: Solen Aref
What does mega millionaire Youtube personality Rosanna Pansino have in common with all PLU students? While it’s a little known fact, this baker, actress, and internet star also went to PLU like all of us.
With a big following of over ten million on her Youtube channel, it’s hard to imagine this internet sensation went to a school as small as ours, but it’s true.
After graduation in 2007, Ro (as she’s known to her fans) started her Youtube page Nerdy Nummies where she hosts a geeky cooking show that covers everything from sci-fi, anime, comic books, movies, and more.
Rosanna came to PLU just like a lot of incoming first years: not too sure what she wanted to study, but with a few ideas in mind. She juggled the ideas of becoming a nurse, or a television reporter, or even an FBI agent.
None of those happened to be true calling however, which is where she was in the perfect position to discover her true life passion: acting.
Through taking a required class for her art credit, Rosanna’s heart lead her down a path she never saw herself pursuing, but was so happy she found it. From an interview given to our MediaLab students at PLU back in 2011, Rosana explained that “PLU was a warm community, that helped me sort through what I wanted to do”.
While it may not have been what she initially thought she wanted, or was planning on getting out of college, Rosana couldn’t be happier with her decision to go into show-business.
Rosanna looked back at her time in college in that same interview, crediting things like joining the LUTE cheer squad, and studying away in China for a semester as part of the reason she overcame her shyness and was able to thrive in the industry.
Rosanna’s key persistence and hard work paid off, as she slowly started gaining small roles in Hollywood through shows like Parks and Recreation, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. During this time, she also discovered the world of Youtube and started filming videos for fun.
Since there was no nerdy themed baking or cooking show on the internet similar to hers at the time, she gained lots of fans who requested more videos from her. As her channel grew, and an adoring fandom was created for her Nerdy Nummies channel on the internet, she quickly realized she had to choose between either Youtube or Hollywood.
This crossroads lead her to sticking with Youtube, and today her success has lead her to 10 million subscribers, and an impressive nerdy nummies collection of 353 videos she has created.
We could all take notes from this fellow Lute about working hard, and following through on our dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.
Her story has inspired many students and continues to inspire the next generation of Lutes who share her humble beginnings of going to a small private college in Parkland, Washington.
