Lily Senra, 21, lives a double life. She’s a senior psychology major in the Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP) at Adelphi University, juggling her studies while working as a monitor at an elementary school. She’s also an internet personality with nearly 300,000 followers, and brand partnerships and talent agencies reaching out to her. 

She was 16 when a video filmed at a sleepover with her cousins unexpectedly launched her online presence. Senra said she had not planned to post the video in which she acted out a viral X Factor audition, but after her cousins insisted no one would see it, she uploaded it before going to sleep for the night. Senra recalled waking up the next day “insanely surprised” to see the video had received over 3 million views and more than 500,000 likes. 

After that initial video, Senra continued posting TikToks lip-syncing popular audios like famous celebrity interview moments and viral sounds. She quickly gained more views and followers. 

Her sister, Mia Senra, 18, said the attention reached her as well. “I was in high school at the time and people would come up to me and say, ‘Wow, your sister. I keep seeing her on my For You page,’” Mia Senra said. 

Soon after, strangers began recognizing her too. Lily Senra recalls a trip to Montreal. “I was in line for Starbucks. A girl comes up to me and is like, ‘Oh my god, are you Lily from TikTok?’” she said.

“My parents were like ‘What the heck? What is happening?’” Senra added.

According to Senra, her parents didn’t initially grasp the scale of TikTok’s reach or how quickly her videos were spreading online.

Lily Senra waited several months before featuring her younger sister in videos while adjusting to the sudden increase in views. In late 2023, a video she posted with Mia in the background lip-syncing an Addison Rae sound reached approximately 5.5 million views. 

Mia said she didn’t expect the video to gain attention. “A few hours later, my friends were commenting on it like, ‘Oh my god, Mia, you’re famous!’” 

Princess Polly, Edikted, and SKIMS are just some of the companies messaging Senra for sponsorships and collaborations as she grows a large following. She said money earned from brand deals often went toward attending concerts and other personal expenses. Still, she said authenticity remained important, and she only promoted products she genuinely liked. 

Not all of the attention was positive. As her videos reached wider audiences, Senra said she also received hateful comments, especially regarding her appearance. “I would get hundreds of such nice people, and then just one bad [comment], and that’s all I would focus on,” she said. 

Still, positive messages often outweighed the negative. Many viewers said her openness about being a theater kid inspired them to try drama themselves. 

Performing had long been a personal dream, Senra said, “I wanted to sing, dance and act. I just wanted to be an actress.” 

But auditions and acting classes were not what she expected. She quickly noticed pressures within the industry, particularly the focus on appearance. “It’s very much about looks and how you present yourself rather than your actual abilities,” Senra said. 

“When I started to post, I was like, wait, people think my faces are funny and think my choices acting wise are funny. So maybe I need to be a little more confident in myself,” she added. 

Although her social media presence boosted her confidence and even led to interest from several talent agencies, she ultimately chose not to pursue representation. Senra felt her online identity sometimes influenced how others perceived her in acting spaces, with some labeling her as “the funny girl” before getting to know her range as an actor.

Social media itself eventually brought its own pressures. As her following grew, posting began to feel more like an obligation than a hobby. “It almost felt more like a job than me just doing something I loved,” Senra said, adding that juggling school, brand deals and a growing audience was draining. 

Despite the visibility of her online persona, Senra said the version of herself on screen is not far from who she is in real life. She emphasized authenticity, especially when choosing brands to work with. 

Her friend, Eddie Winey from Lindenhurst, New York, first met Senra through business collaborations, and said she comes across the same way in person as she does online. “When you meet her she is just as warm and friendly and caring as she seems on social media,” he said.

She’s very true to herself online. She’s the same exact person,” Winey added.

Winey said Senra carries that same warmth into her interactions with people who recognize her in public, often taking time to talk with anyone who approaches her. “She’s a person who constantly has her arms wide open to everyone,” he said. 

Senra said her priorities have shifted since the height of her internet fame and that social media is no longer the center of her ambitions. Instead, as she prepares for a career in education, she hopes to graduate and eventually have a classroom of her own. 

With her theater background, she would also like to stay connected to the performing arts through school programs. “I would love to do the theater program at whatever school I’m at,” Senra said. “I would love to direct the musical if they have one.”

Senra is also focused on growing Nostalgia Vintage and Thrift, an East Meadow, Long Island thrift store she opened with her mother, April Senra, in 2025. She hopes it may one day expand to another location. 

Currently, her personal relationship with TikTok is far more relaxed than it once was. “Social media-wise, I’m just going to post what I like,” she said. “I’m not really stressed about it anymore.” 

Looking ahead, Senra hopes to balance teaching, creativity and growing the store. No matter where those paths lead, staying authentic remains most important. Senra said, “People follow you for you. You’ve got to be yourself.”