Kylan Darnell Breaks Silence After Stepping Again from Bama Rush (Unique)

Simply two days into this 12 months’s sorority rush cycle on the College of Alabama, Kylan Darnell — who catapulted to social media fame in 2022 for her viral recruitment movies — introduced she can be taking a step again from collaborating in her senior 12 months recruitment.

Kylan, who turned often called the “Queen of Bama Rush” throughout her freshman 12 months, has constructed an enormous, sorority-centric on-line presence through the years as a member of Alabama’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, documenting faculty life, Greek life and extra, all accompanied by her signature, upbeat “I hope you are having an incredible day, not not only a good day” sign-on.

Nonetheless, behind the optimistic character that she tries to current on-line, she tells PEOPLE, the stress of being a public determine — particularly throughout recruitment — has taken a toll.

“I have been struggling mentally with some issues throughout rush,” Kylan says. “It is loads of stress, and all eyes are on me throughout rush. So, I made a decision to take a little bit three-day [break], so I might get my bearings down and simply really feel higher as a result of it is onerous each time your life is put on the market to the world.”

Throughout her sophomore and junior years, Kylan recollects that she “completely cherished being a Zeta,” telling PEOPLE that the sorority had change into a “character” of hers, and that it was particularly enjoyable to put up on-line about.

“It was so enjoyable to share the opposite aspect of it,” she says, “However now I’ve simply been struggling loads with my chapter and issues like that on social media, so I felt prefer it was unfair for me to get all dressed up and act like I used to be having the time of my life.”

Stepping again was not straightforward for Kylan, who, within the week main as much as recruitment’s begin, posted movies of herself excitedly collaborating in “Work Week,” which is the week earlier than recruitment when lively sorority members collect collectively to organize for the upcoming week and follow operating by mock recruitment events.

“It was truthfully so unhappy for me,” she says.

Along with the same old calls for of rush, which for sorority members on the College of Alabama can typically additionally embody the whole lot from choreographing elaborate dance routines for social media to assembling themed costumes throughout Work Week, Kylan’s youthful sister Izzy can also be going by recruitment for the primary time as a freshman at Alabama.

“I made a decision to take a step again as a result of there’s simply loads of on-line stuff between me and my sister, and it was onerous for me,” Kylan explains, noting that on-line chatter has added stress to all totally different facets of her life.

Evaluating her Bama Rush expertise to her sister’s, she notes loads has modified prior to now few years, notably with the rise of social media. Kylan’s personal social media following has skyrocketed through the years to a whopping 1.2 million on TikTok and 510K on Instagram.

Regardless of her personal social media fame, Kylan’s recommendation for potential new members on the College of Alabama may shock some.

“For the longer term PNMs, I simply would not put up,” she says. “I really feel unhealthy that I’ve posted this entire time on-line and made women suppose that they need to, however I’ve simply realized that the speak round sororities and universities, if women put up on-line they usually’re not selecting them, I simply really feel like that is very disheartening.”

On the finish of the day, it is not going to make or break your life,” she tells PEOPLE. “If you do not get right into a sorority, you are going to discover associates right here. In case you do, you are going to have an incredible expertise.”

After years of collaborating in recruitment and sorority life, her takeaway for potential new members now could be to ensure that they keep true to themselves.

“I’d inform them to be themselves. To essentially, actually simply not kind into the Southern sorority woman character. Maintain their character as a result of I seen that I, myself, freshman 12 months, modified loads each time I did first get right into a sorority, after which I type of needed to discover myself once more.”

Regardless of a few of her frustrations with sure facets of Greek Life, Kylan shares that she doesn’t plan to stroll away from her sorority earlier than commencement. “I need to graduate and have that,” she says. “All of us will keep in touch as a result of they’re my women and all of us have, we’re planning on doing a summer season women journey each summer season.”

As she strikes out of the extraordinary highlight of Bama Rush, Kylan can also be gearing as much as savor her last 12 months on campus. “I am so excited for recreation days. I am so excited to graduate and have an enormous woman job. I’m excited for a 12 months of enjoyable and a 12 months of enjoyable as a result of my schedule’s very easy this 12 months.
I am simply excited to take pleasure in my senior 12 months and to simply absolutely dwell the expertise of it.”

Trying forward, the sports activities broadcasting main hopes to pivot her content material away from recruitment and towards what she calls “explaining sports activities in woman phrases,” in addition to documenting the transition from faculty to the actual world. And naturally, she has just a few initiatives lined up that she will be able to’t essentially communicate on but.

“I simply hope that I can share the entire variations of shifting on from faculty and the college facet and going into the actual world.”