UC Davis content creator Mia Hildebrand detailed her rise to Internet fame and entrepreneurial success
By DOMENICA PELOSO — feautures@theaggie.org
While most freshmen are rendered defenseless against the dreaded first-year jitters, UC Davis students are uniquely prepared to transition into college life thanks to social media content creator Mia Hildebrand — colloquially known by her online persona, Mishkerzzz.
22-year-old Hildebrand, a 2025 alumna of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in managerial economics, is now attending the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, where she is a candidate for her master’s degree in professional accounting.
In addition to maintaining a social media following and studying as a graduate student, Hildebrand is also a small business owner, teacher’s assistant (TA), PLASMA program entrepreneur, MPAc ambassador and social butterfly.
“You can see her balancing; she’s a gym rat, she has a boyfriend and she goes home to see her family,” Jackie Aleksandrovich, a third-year managerial economics major, said. “And with so much going on in her daily life, she still finds the time to share her experiences with us, and I think that’s so cool.”
On TikTok, Hildebrand currently has 16,600 followers and has amassed over 2.4 million likes.
“I was searching for Davis content creators right after I committed just to see what it’s like,” Grace Petoyan, a first-year history major, said. “Then, I found her account, and I asked her about your standard dorm things. She answered within a couple hours and was so receptive. It just seemed like she really loved what she was doing. She’s definitely welcoming, kind and uplifting. Like, she’s the kind of video you’d want to pop up after you failed your midterm.”
However, this online persona took immense time and self-reflection to materialize, according to Hildebrand. In fact, it only took shape after Hildebrand quit Division 1 softball during her third year as an undergraduate at UC Davis.
“After I quit softball, I was so painfully alone,” Hildebrand said. “I didn’t have any friends. My mental health was at an all-time low. It was probably the worst year of my life.”
Hildebrand, who first picked up the sport in kindergarten, was now faced with the daunting task of rediscovering her personal identity without the security of her team. After a year of therapy, a renewed love for fitness and a newfound relationship, Hildebrand regained her self-worth — and in turn, felt emboldened to pursue content creation.
In January of 2025, Hildebrand began regularly posting multiple times a day on TikTok. Most notably, her videos on Davis food recommendations, relatable “storytimes,” tips for UC Davis students and “Day in my life” vlogs garnered a large viewer base.
“Once people started to say ‘Hi’ to me in person and talk about me on YikYak, I was pretty amazed,” Hildebrand said. “But also, I was like, ‘Damn right, we did that.’ It was just cool connecting with the whole community. I finally felt like myself again.”
As her following grew, Hildebrand eventually received a modest revenue from TikTok — with the largest amount being $80 in one month. For her, however, the most thrilling monetary benefit for Hildebrand was her paid partnership with Hinge.
“They saw one of my videos about meeting my boyfriend on Hinge and reached out,” Hildebrand said. “Long story short, they paid me $3,000 for a six-second video, which lowkey changed my life.”
With this generous sum of money, Hildebrand invested in her long-term passion project, Mia’s Craft Kits. Initially conceptualized in a business writing class during her third year at UC Davis, the compact craft kits contain everything needed to create beaded keychains, necklaces, phone charms and bracelets on the go.
In December of 2025, Hildebrand officially launched her small business at the Davis Craft and Vintage Fair.
In light of her project proposal coming to life, Hildebrand began transitioning her small business content to Instagram. Soon after, a reel of Hildebrand promoting her kits as a TA went viral — resulting in her first flood of hate comments.
“I was showing my kids my craft kits, because I try to have relationships with all my students, and I just tell them about myself because why not?” Hildebrand said. “After I said they were $30, this girl was like, ‘Damn.’ And I posted it because I just thought it was funny.”
At the time of publication, the video currently has over 2 million views, 42,000 likes, 361 comments and 1,000 shares. Despite Hildebrand’s harsh comment section, she gained over 2,000 followers from that one video.
“They always say, you haven’t made it until they’re hating on you,” Hildebrand said. “So I think this is a good sign.”
In terms of the future of Mishkerzzz and Mia’s Craft Kits, Hildebrand plans to expand upon both endeavors while also working as a KPMG audit associate post-graduation.
“I just want to bring screen-free activities back,” Hildebrand said. “Every person needs to know how to craft. I just think there [are] so many benefits that I am able to spread, especially with my social media platform. So I see the future as, instead of Michael’s, it’s Mia’s.”
As Hildebrand prepares to enter the next stage of her life, UC Davis students look forward to tagging along.
“She should continue to take us along her journey through life, even after she leaves UC Davis,” Aleksandrovich said. “I know that her content is Davis-specific and school-specific, and I know how much she loves this school, and I want to see what she does — especially as somebody who has the same interests.”
With graduation just four months away, Hildebrand reflected on her time as an Aggie.
“Growing up, I definitely think I had a hard time fitting in,” Hildebrand said. “But I feel like at UC Davis, a lot of us were misfits growing up, and that’s lowkey why we’re at UC Davis: because we’re smart, and we’re nice and we’re just good humans. It’s just important to be a good human and be yourself, no matter what that is — even if that’s posting silly videos on TikTok.”
Written by: Domenica Peloso — features@theaggie.org
