From modelling, to playing varsity volleyball, being a micro-influencer and going to university; there isn’t much Hailey Holland can’t do.
Holland has an Instagram following of 4,312 and 1,409 on TikTok. She didn’t even have a social media presence until the modelling agency she was signed to suggested it.
She’s a bit of a micro-influencer. Amazon approached her to be a Prime influencer at the University of Guelph. The campus influencer program has students create and post content about Amazon on their social media platforms. She posts about the Prime student membership, products, giveaways and gets paid to do it.
From studying in the marketing management program at U of G she’s used what she’s learned and applied it to her social media pages.
Her career goal is to become a digital marketer for a sports team or league.
Holland, 20, has been playing volleyball for a decade. She made the choice to come to U of G after she started her first semester at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, where she was on an NCAA scholarship.
She’s proud of the last season she had where U of G made it to the playoffs but were defeated in the quarterfinals by McMaster University.
When she started playing volleyball at a high level she had to make a decision to either continue playing the sport or pursue modelling further. Holland was scouted at 13-years-old by Chantale Nadeau while out in Toronto with her mom. From then she travelled to Montreal, New York and Tokyo for modelling. She’s been seen in Today’s Bride, Elle Canada, and Seventeen magazine.
Her experience modelling helped her become an influencer because of the connections she made with photographers, makeup artists and creative directors. Her modelling career has been put on pause for the meantime and she hopes to get back into it once she’s graduated.
Since she has an Instagram page for her modelling her friends suggested she create a personal page to show everyone the interesting things that go on in her life.
“With social media so many people say it's just the highlight reel of your life. And so that's something I want to try to avoid. I want to try to show my authentic self,” said Holland.
She doesn’t use Photoshop or promote things she doesn’t believe in.
If asked, Holland thinks her friends would describe her as outgoing, energetic and positive. "I’m always there for my friends or my family, and they always come first. And I like just always being enthusiastic and quick learning and take a positive attitude to any task I get thrown into.”
Holland has a lot of things on the go and she likes to call it her work, life, volleyball harmony. She said she tries to create an equilibrium between her professional responsibilities and personal well-being. Time management has helped her balance her life.
She’s just finished her second-year at university and she’ll be flying out to Florida to work at Walt Disney World. This has been a dream for her ever since her family started taking annual trips to Disney World. As a Canadian she didn’t know if she would ever get the chance to work there. She found a program where international students from Canada, Brazil, France, India, and Turkey can work at Disney for three months. She’s excited and is looking forward to creating content when she’s there.
In her limited free time you can find Holland hiking, snowboarding, shopping or cheering on her boyfriend at a hockey game.
She’s thankful for the support from her family and friends because without them she wouldn’t be where she is now. Her family would drive her to volleyball games and modelling gigs. “I'm very lucky to have such incredible parents and such an incredible brother that really want to see me succeed in the long term.”
As for what’s next she likes to take things one day at a time. She’s looking forward to the next volleyball season and to see herself grow as an athlete. As for social media she wants to continue to grow by working with new brands and expanding her content.
