Between school, work, social lives, and your faith, some things might start to fall through the cracks. Now imagine managing an empire including a YouTube Channel, a Podcast with Media One, and being an Instagram influencer. Faith is more important than ever during these times and YouTube sensation, Kenzie Elizabeth is a great example of how you can truly “balance it all” this semester.

You may have seen her motivating 6 a.m. morning routine videos or liked her very chic Instagram posts, but Kenzie Elizabeth has a whole world off-camera. Kenzie is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at a Christian college in Los Angeles, California. Her college is accredited through South Eastern, allowing her to have a full college experience along with an intensive church internship. Read her Q&A with the “War Cry” below.

WC: How did you start your career on YouTube?

Kenzie: It’s funny. I used to hate YouTube growing up. I didn’t like that the computer was getting attention and not me. All my cousins watched Shane Dawson and other people, and I just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t until I saw a rainbow makeup tutorial by Dulce Candy that I started to understand why people like watching YouTube videos. I always wanted to start my own channel, but I was afraid of what people would think. One day someone said to me, “Kenzie, you’ve literally never cared what people thought about you.” And I thought, well that’s true. So, it was my freshman year of high school when I finally made my channel. Then during the summer before my sophomore year is when it started to grow. That’s when I started to make an income off of my videos. I always say I would do it for free. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be doing this. I’m very business oriented as it is, so I always knew I could turn it [YouTube] into something, I just didn’t know what at the time.

WC: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from putting your life on the internet? Would have done anything differently?

Kenzie: I feel more people can relate to you than you realize. I think people when they’re going through a harder time, will shut down and not tell anyone what they’re going through. It’s during the tough times that I’ve opened up and have received an overwhelming amount of responses. People either have been there or understand what I’m saying or even what I’m going through. I think opening up made me realize how similar we all are and how we have a lot more in common than we think. I don’t think I would do anything differently besides maybe keeping relationships a little bit more private but honestly, I don’t even know if I would really change that.

WC: Did you ever feel that you had to hide your faith from your online world? Did you ever think, “If I talk about my faith, I might lose followers or people might judge me?”

Kenzie: Yes. When I first moved to L.A., I was really lost and decide to go back to church. At first, I felt that if I share this part of my life I might receive some hate, but then as I opened up, I honestly never once received a comment saying that they want me to stop talking about my faith. If anything, it’s been the complete opposites. Some people on my podcast say to me, “I’m not religious at all but I love hearing you talk about it, because it’s so refreshing, it’s such a different thing.” People are a lot more open to hearing about it than you’d think. I think they’re just used to people who are really conservative and set in their ways versus explaining what religion should be, which is really a freedom.

WC: What are your opinions on more adult subjects, such as drinking and sex? Do you believe you can be open to those topics while still being true to your faith?

Kenzie: I believe that there are guidelines set in place to protect and well guide us. It’s not a rulebook, it’s a guidebook. Those things are set in place to protect us with the best interest at heart. We should always strive to be the best that we can be and keep these in mind because there is pain on the other side of these actions [drink and sex], but it’s never going to affect how God sees you.

WC: What made you choose a Christian college versus a traditional one?

Kenzie: I never really wanted to go to a huge university, it just didn’t appeal to me. I decided to move to Los Angeles a year before starting school so I could get in-state tuition. [I] was eventually going to enroll in an online program, but I also didn’t like the idea of just going to school online since I work from home too. I wanted an overall stronger foundation. It wasn’t until I was at church one day and I found out about my school, even though it was the least “me” thing ever. I applied, got accepted, and started my program a month later. Even though I’m excited to graduate and not have to do homework anymore, I’m going to be so heartbroken because I love my program and I love being there every day.

WC: What is something you wish you knew before starting college?

Kenzie: Something my pastor said to me was, “Don’t be married to your first idea.” Simply put, be open to change. If things change, that’s probably a good thing. Invest in the relationships around you. It’s what matters the most and what’s going to last you longer, and it’s going to carry you through.

WC: What advice would you give to college students trying to maintain their relationship with God in the craziness of all the changes?

Kenzie: The more we focus on what not to do the less we focus on God. And if you do that, you will always fail. You just have to know yourself, your identity, and what your boundaries are.

WC: What is your secret to balancing all that you do?

Kenzie: You have to make sacrifices for sure, but I’ve also gotten good at time management. I am very crazy with my calendar, and I have everything planned out. I just have to be okay with not having so much downtime.

Kenzie is an inspiration when planning your upcoming semester. To read Kenzie’s magazine feature, subscribe to the “War Cry.”

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