When the pandemic foiled her grad school plans and she was furloughed from a role at Ulta Beauty, Mikayla Nogueira ’20 picked up her iPhone and began posting. In five short years, Nogueira has become one of TikTok’s most prominent beauty influencers, amassing more than 16 million followers and earning spots on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2024 and Time's The 100 Most Influential Creators of 2025.
Known for her thick Boston accent and vibrant personality, Nogueria has also grown into a global entrepreneur, launching her own skin prep brand, Point of View, in March just before Bryant honored her with an Emerging Leaders Award.
Here, she shares lessons learned from her whole-life makeover:
LEAN INTO YOUR PASSION
“The only thing keeping me going during the COVID-19 pandemic was makeup. I thought, ‘I love to create, and I love creative direction, so why don't I take everything I learned at Bryant and from working at Ulta, and put it on social media?’”
BE PERSISTENT
“I made videos with no income for six months before I had my first meeting with a brand. A big reason why I'm sitting where I am in my life today is because I've always believed in dreaming big, even if the dream seemed stupid to other people.”
KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND
“When I was working at Ulta Beauty, there was this one question I would get every single shift: ‘Why can't I get my makeup to look good?’ I found myself having to maze throughout the store to put together a skin prep routine for people. There wasn't a brand that was straight to the point.
“That’s why I created my own skin prep brand, Point of View. I want people to feel inspired to be their own makeup artist at home and to discover their own point of view on beauty. My products are simple, clean, and exceptionally effective.”
FIND THE RIGHT SUPPORT
“I have my communication, marketing, and media background but, for Point of View, I now have a CEO and people working in finance. That's the thing about entrepreneurship: No one person can handle every single piece of the puzzle. So having people on my team that help me curate everything to make sure it's perfect has been a saving grace.”