Virtual College Con from Bank Sallie Mae Hacks the Student Experience

College might look breezy and generally carefree in movies and pop culture references, but the fact of the matter is that there are many aspects of the educational journey that stress students the hell out. From FAFSA forms and figuring out how to pay for school to navigating new social scenarios to the anxiety-ridden exam season, students have a whole lot more on their plates than dining hall burgers and fries.

In this livestream event (April 13th at 7pm ET / 4pm PT), created with agency partner GYK Antler, Sallie Mae is aiming to reach incoming college students where they’re already active – YouTube. They’re offering teens the chance to hear tips, tricks, hacks and cheat codes from student influencers, recent grads and celeb guests that want to help the next generation level-up their higher ed experience.

Hosts include:

• Domonique Cynthia, UPenn Wharton alum and host of Sallie Mae’s 'Campus Underground' podcast
• Carlynn Greene, a senior at Univ. of North Texas, Denton, YouTuber, and instructor who’s won 30+ scholarships
• Lindsay Fleming, a licensed therapist for teens and TikTok content creator
• Colby Martel, a junior at Babson and YouTuber documenting college life
• Jorge Alvarez, a mental health activist and TikTok content creator
• With special celebrity guest appearances from:

- American video game voice actor Troy Baker who narrated Sallie Mae’s 'HACKED' YouTube series

- Indie rock duo Toledo who will do a making-of-the-music demo and live performance

This event, along with a number of other brand initiatives launched the past two years, are all part of Sallie Mae’s purposeful shift from a student financial services company to a student support system, as they work to ensure the students they serve:

1. can get access to free money first, before turning to loans, and

2. have the resources they need to build confidence in their financial literacy, and ultimately reduce stress and improve mental health by achieving greater control of their educational journey.

Media supporting the initiative is running across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and influencer content partners will help get the word out to their followers.