Kylan Darnell, Who Went Viral as 'Queen of Bama Rush,' Says School 'Changed' Her Life as She Reflects on Graduation (Exclusive)
Kylan Darnell, Who Went Viral as 'Queen of Bama Rush,' Says School 'Changed' Her Life as She Reflects on Graduation (Exclusive)
Tabitha ParentFri, May 1, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC
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Kylan Darnell ahead of her May 1, 2026 graduation from the University of Alabama.Credit: Tonya Darnell -
Kylan Darnell is a college graduate!
The influencer, who built up a large following on social media for her sorority rush and general college content, crossed the stage at her University of Alabama graduation on Friday, May 1
“I am 50% excited for the future, 50% wishing I could redo freshman year all over again," the content creator says in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE
After four years of creating content online about her college experience, Kylan Darnell, also known as the "Queen of Sorority Rush," is graduating from the University of Alabama.On the evening of May 1, Kylan and her nearly 3,000 fellow undergrads in the College of Communication and Information Sciences will turn their tassels over and become part of the many college seniors gearing up for the special celebration over the next month."These past four years at the University of Alabama have changed my life," Kylan tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "How lucky I am to have experienced something that makes saying goodbye so hard."“I am feeling all the feelings. I am 50% excited for the future, 50% wishing I could redo freshman year all over again," she continues.
Kylan Darnell ahead of her graduation from the University of Alabama in 2026.Credit: Tonya Darnell
"Today, I am graduating with memories that will last a lifetime. I'm not exactly sure what's next, but I'm so ready to find out!"Just a day before the ceremony, Kylan posted a video of herself getting ready for graduation pictures, using a sound bite of Sydney Sweeney saying, "The biggest misconception about me is that I am a dumb blonde with big tits," before she transitioned the camera to a clip of her decked out in her graduation regalia and honors tassels.
Kylan also shared some of her grad photos with her school friends, captioning the dump post, "Alabama, you were great not just good! #rolltide," in reference to her signature catchphrase, "I hope you have a great day, not just a good day."Kylan also wore a special dress made by her mother, Tonya Darnell, which featured a screen-printed University of Alabama letter "A," hand-bedazzled by Tonya."Where legends are made, is where my story begins," the writing on the front of the dress read, in reference to Alabama's motto — a phrase she first discovered during her freshman orientation, and one that she says she hopes captures the legacy she wants to leave on the school.
A process picture from the making of Kylan Darnell's graduation dress.Credit: Kylan Darnell
On the back, Kylan included a longer statement: "Four years ago I arrived at The University of Alabama with big dreams and no roadmap. I learned how to stand on my own. How to fix my hair and do my makeup without calling Mom first. I learned responsibility. How to carry myown weight and pay my own way. I learned not every friendship is real, and not every cheer is genuine. Most of all, I learned family is everything. Hold them close. They are precious. Where legends are made, I found who I am."
In the weeks leading up to the graduation, the broadcast journalism major captured some of the milestone events of her senior year — which looked slightly different than most soon-to-be graduates — on her social media.Some were more typical, like her mom coming into town to take grad pics of the 22-year-old, which she posted about on TikTok. "This does not feel real. It genuinely does not feel real. I feel like I just graduated high school," she laughed in the April 22 clip.
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Kylan Darnell poses on the University of Alabama's campus ahead of her 2026 graduation in May.Credit: Tonya Darnell
"I just want a message out there to my dad and to my brothers. Y'all owe me money. Because everybody said first semester, I wouldn't be able to make it without my mom being, like, at college and being so far away," she went on, jokingly."But I made it. And I did it with a full-time job and everything and being gone every weekend. But, yeah, I did it for all those people that are like, 'Why isn't this girl in school?' Boom!"
Other moments were less typical, including her trip to the NASCAR Cup Series at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and hosting CW Sports Sideline at the 2026 Owens Craft Mixers Roth/Holman Doubles Championship, a major Professional Bowlers Association event back in April.The influencer, who has over one million followers on her TikTok account and over 700,000 on Instagram, has been working to cultivate a presence in the world of sports since she started at the University of Alabama. However, her platform initially began to take off when she began posting about her sorority rush experience before the kickoff of her freshman year.
Kylan made a name for herself as the "Queen of Bama Rush" as she documented the recruitment process with her rush OOTDs and GRWMs. As she joined Alabama's chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, her following steadily grew as she documented college life, Greek life and more, all accompanied by her signature, upbeat "I hope you're having a great day, not just a good day" sign-on.
Kylan Darnell, ahead of her graduation from the University of Alabama, in 2026.Credit: Tonya Darnell
Back in December, Kylan chatted with PEOPLE about balancing what she calls the "hardest semester of my life" when it came to schoolwork. At the time, she was hopeful that the work she had spent putting in her journalism and media classes would pay off as she got closer to graduation.She also told PEOPLE that while she had spent much of her college career in the public eye, her huge social media following had never felt like a chore or a means to an end. "It's kind of like my diary or my blog. It's the way that I get my voice out there," she gushed at the time. "And I love that it's fun for me. I've never felt, 'ugh, I've got to do this video.' It's never been like that for me. I will always keep social media just because that's where I express myself."At the time, Kylan also teased that her next move on the docket would be a move to N.Y.C., as she continues her search for a post-grad job."I've been so transparent with my life, all the way through college," she said. "Why not be transparent going through whenever I'm moving to New York and all of this stuff, the first steps of finding an apartment, my first day of work."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
