Almost every teenager’s dream is to go viral. That dream became a reality for freshman Jeshua Padilla when one of his short videos blew up and he gained 10,000 followers overnight.

“I made a video where I was describing my dream girl and when I woke up the video had over 100,000 likes,” he said.

Now, with over 91,600 followers and 1.6 million likes on TikTok, Padilla gets recognized quite often.

“I’m excited when I get recognized because it makes me realize that I’m somewhat famous,” he said.

Not only does Padilla get recognized, he also gets paid for making videos on the app.

“I get money every week,” he said. “I’m saving it up for college.”

Padilla said he is inspired by fellow creators on the app.

“I get most of my ideas from other people,” he said. “If I really like it, I’ll post the video that day.”

With a large fan base, Padilla said he needed a posting schedule and decided to post videos three times a week.

“I like creating funny videos because I have fun making them,” he said. “I love reading the comments people leave.”

One of Padilla’s goals was to be on the website Famous Birthdays, which he accomplished not long after being on the app.

“I was just kind of shocked at first when I noticed I was on the site but I also felt blessed to get the opportunity to be on it,” he said.

As a freshman, Padilla said his fame has already affected his experience.

“A lot of upperclassmen know me which is good, but sometimes I feel like people are only friends with me for my fame,” he said.

From encountering fans to fake friends, Padilla said he plans to continue growing his fanbase.

“I don’t regret any of it,” he said. “This journey has made me the person I am today.”