Psychology Alumnus Reigns as Influencer on Social Media

By: Tiffany Whitfield

Kristina Urribarres is a beauty, fashion and fitness influencer with nearly half a million followers on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. She credits her Bachelor of Sciences degree in Psychology from Old Dominion University as a key to her success.

Back in 2009 Urribarres started posting videos for fun before YouTubers were getting paid. She watched influences like Michelle Phan, an amateur beauty YouTuber at the time, who went on to found Ipsy and EM Cosmetic and currently has more than 8-million followers. Urribarres was also influenced by Elle and Blair Fowler, YouTubers who filmed videos in their bedroom. "I was like, are you kidding me, I can do that," said Urribarres.

Soon after, Urribarres bought makeup at the mall in Norfolk and showed it off on YouTube. "I would try on makeup and everybody liked it and that's how it started rolling," said Urribarres. "Then friends started coming to me saying 'hey can you advertise for us' and they sent me their products, so it just started going from there."

Eventually, she received an invitation from Ipsy to attend Jem Fashion Beauty an international beauty convention held in Florida which led to more opportunities. "I would fly out to L.A., Toronto, Miami, San Francisco, New York as a creator and meet with other creators and brands," said Urribarres. At the time, she lived in Virginia and flew coast to coast. "I really liked L.A. and all the creators were there, and all of the brands were based out there," said Urribarres.

Leaving Virginia and moving to the west coast proved worth her while, as her social media influence took off. "I had no idea that I was going to make money from it," said Urribarres. Her ODU degree in psychology well equipped her for this influential business. "When I was learning Psychology, they taught us everything," said Urribarres.

"There were classes for child psychology, there's abnormal psychology and I.O. psychology which is what they use in corporations." She has adapted and applies psychology to her job. "When I'm trying to push a product, if a company asks me to advertise this foundation, it has to be real, I have to like it and it has to come from my heart," said Urribarres.

Unfortunately, she had to pause filming because she got sick with COVID-19. "I got sick at the end of May and I was positive for 4 weeks, so I was in bed for a month," said Urribarres. "My fatigue wouldn't go away." She would try to do light chores like vacuum or cook and became fatigued to the point she would either have to sit down or lay down. "COVID was so bad because I had long-term effects from it and that only just wore off," said Urribarres. "I just started feeling better in November."

She eventually snapped back into the swing of her daily workout and posting routine. Being an influencer requires a lot of time and planning because each platform is a little different. "I try to post as much as I can and the good thing is, I can make content anywhere," said Urribarres. Sometimes she films a few videos a day to stay ahead of her schedule. Each platform is different, and she tailors her posts to attract more viewers.

Branding and psychology go hand in hand, and at ODU Urribarres was an excellent student. "I loved ODU, and all of the professors were really nice," said Urribarres. Her drive to be an influencer continues. Recently, she was only one of six influencers asked by DERMA E, an L.A.-based vegan skincare company, to be an ambassador. There is a science behind branding. "It also helps to know how the consumer thinks, so psychology helps," said Urribarres.