Vee Kativhu

[bigreputation]

I get the sense she was being asked to do things she thought were below her being new to the team and early in her career like general admin and support stuff that you get asked to do in an office environment and she suddenly decided it wasn’t for her.

 

[n8459]

phd student discovers timezones

 

[Ginaede23]

I just can’t get on board with her study/revision videos. Would be nice if she actually disclosed Harvard and Oxford's grade average and the specific fact that the most typical grade that Harvard gives is an A, rather than misleading her viewers into believing that 'straight A's' are some pinnacle of achievement. This issue of grade inflation is well-documented in these institutions and in fact some grade distributions are readily accessible.

Very little humility in this person.
She:
a) got some mediocre grades in A levels
b) Happened to be at the right place at the right time to find a foundation course that significantly improved her chances of admission into Oxford, because in the alternative, it would be downright inconceivable that she would be offered a place with her existing A level grades.
c) enjoyed the perks of grade inflation in Oxford (noting that some undergrad courses at Oxford only give out 2:2 to the bottom 5%!)
d) Became Youtube famous, started this personal branding and clout chasing venture, until she saved enough money to afford a Harvard degree and stack things on a resume
e) Attended Harvard, enjoyed the exact same grade inflation as in Oxford, unsurprisingly comes out with the most typical grade - an A

*How I went from C to an A* - grade inflation honey, methinks that's the answer.

Disclosure: these are just my thoughts and opinions on the matter and are by no means an assertion that this is the 'truth'. Perhaps I'm rather guided by the fact that she is just woefully insufferable in her videos.

 

[emmer_moans]

I get that it’s nice for her to be doing well but also, I can’t help but feel she’s chosen a flashy first flat which she is going to have to keep up the appearance of, I give her channel a year but as with a lot of study tubers, their views lose interest a short while after their graduation, as most of the viewers are looking for study tips. Would she be able to keep up the rent once the ads dwindle? Also, I get that she has thanked her viewers but also, most of her viewers probably aren’t going to ever expect to be able to rent such a flashy flat in their lifetime, let alone straight out of uni. Again it’s an example of a studytuber becoming less relatable to their core audience. With Vee it seems like a race to the flashy prestige items > new car > flashy flat > flashy house, what’s left for her later on? Maybe I’m jealous but it’s looking a lot hollow on her channel now.

 

[July9696]

Definitely a humble brag. That’s such a ridiculous amount of money to make in three months. She put a story up beforehand saying she wasn’t sure whether to share. I think she should have kept quiet. She could’ve answered in a Q&A at a later date that she self funded so there’s no need for her to brag, especially about how quick she made it.

It’s insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of people unemployed in the UK right now. I’ve got friends her age working minimum wage jobs with degrees or unemployed or still living with parents because of finances. I don’t know, maybe I’m just generally mad at influencers right now.

Also, I’m assuming she’s returned from France now? Did she do her MANDATORY by LAW self isolation? (Pretty sure you still need to isolate after coming back from France) or is she, like all other influencers, above the law?

 

[whatshesaid123]

Her new video - ‘Harvard student reacts to Jesy leaving little mix’ what has it got to do with her being a Harvard student

 

[n8459]

I’ve never seen somebody more deserving of a healthy dose of imposter syndrome…

 

[bigreputation]

I feel like she is better at marketing herself as someone making change than she is at actually doing anything that makes a real difference? Because I also can't see what she has done to have won the award, or to be appearing in some of the spaces she has been like with the Obamas, etc. She has really good connections, and a great story (coming from Zimbabwe, working to support her Mum - credit to her academic achievements but I do wonder how much of this is exaggerated. I love the "I worked at McDonalds" spiel like that is the rock bottom she worked up from - well done. So many students work there to support themselves?) but Empowered by Vee is her main thing, right? And that seems something quite small and something she only seems to promote and focus on occasionally?

 

[palmer]

So I’ve never really ventured outside of the ‘Gurus’ forum until now, but for some reason I was particularly bored tonight and decided to check out some of the other forums. Suddenly I came across a familiar name... I am so shocked to find out that Vee has a thread on here lol.

I probably shouldn’t be posting this, but it’s such a strange thing to see someone I “know” be discussed here that I just can’t help myself... I attended the same Oxford college as her (LMH). I was there when she started her foundation year in 2016. It was the foundation year’s first cohort and our college principal (who initiated/created the program) was making such a big deal out of it, so everyone’s eyes were sort of on them. I was still there in 2017 when Malala arrived and Vee started her BA. From the start it was clear that Vee was the principal’s “favorite” (he was constantly showcasing her on his personal social media, getting her special opportunities, etc. — more so than any of the other students on the FY, let alone actual undergrad students) and I’m pretty sure he sort of hooked her up to become Malala’s friend. I think Vee got assigned to a dorm room right next to Malala’s, and that’s kind of how the friendship started.

I don’t have crazy goss or anything but I am still Facebook friends with her. I haven’t really watched any of her videos but her message (based on what I can tell from fb) has always bothered me slightly because she makes it sound like anyone can achieve what she has if they work hard enough, but she’s failing to recognize the extent to which she just...lucked out. For sure, she was smart enough to take advantage of all the opportunities that were handed to her, and she obviously put in the work/effort/time to stay on top of her course. But a huge part of her success has been down to luck and the fact that she naturally has this very outgoing/friendly personality. It’s great for her but definitely not attainable for most. Had she not got into the FY first, developed such a close r/s with the principal, become friends with M, things would’ve probably turned out differently. There are so many problems with Oxford that she always seemed to ignore/dismiss completely. Also, the constant self congratulatory posts are getting a bit cringe worthy.

 

[Kaldk]

I'm sorry, but how can her expectations of this job (travelling around the world and helping school communities) be SO far away from reality. I mean she probably had an interview where all of this was discussed, and she signed the papers, aware of what she can expect from this job. Also, they are not gonna send you on a business trip if you've only just started working there lol what was she thinking. There is an onboarding/introductory period at almost every office job that can take from weeks to months. You gotta get through it.

And people congratulating her under her insta post makes me feel really weird. Why are they proud of her? Because she couldn't last 2 months at her "dream job"? This is ridiculous at this point.

Btw, does anyone know why she mentions a gap year? It doesn't make sense to me, she already has her master's degree. Taking a break before starting to work doesn't make sense either as she was working until now.

 

[cass678]

Malala looked so uncomfortable in that recent vlog where Vee gets her loads of birthday stuff etc. I sense she knows that Vee uses her for views from time to time.

The fact that one of Vee’s first ever videos was a Q&A with Malala always made me suspicious that the friendship was very transactional for Vee. Malala seems like an absolute sweetheart, Vee often does not.

 

[lolwhyamihere21]

omg.... her first job out of university isn't her dream job?? surprise surprise!! also "the office-based world of work isn't something I enjoy" she's so special for not wanting to do a 9-5 office job, such a free spirit <333 honestly I think she should have stuck with it, I also believe that quitting and starting again can be a good and healthy choice but hasn't it been only a few months? it's also never a bad idea to give it more time

also did you guys watch the video she did with jade, I can't bring myself to watch it because everything about Jade makes me cringe at this point

 

[StonesThrowaway2]

Please do!

Here's some more tea about Malala and Vee before I delete again:

- Someone else in this thread already said this but the principal of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford really liked Vee during her foundation year here because she was so charming. He was the one who put her in touch with Malala. She brags about making Oxford history by being one of the first people in this foundation course but idk it's as "historical" as she claims. She always exaggerated her achievements.

- Vee played up her love of education to get closer to Malala. Don't get me wrong. She really is interested in education but it became more of her thing when Malala came.

- She called Malala her bff almost as soon as this friendship started. Is there a friend version of love bombing? That's what Vee did.
Vee always had to be the center of attention and it became worse when her youtube channel took off. Her poses in her facebook pics became more obnoxious with that fake laughing pose that influencers do. It was so awkward to watch her do that when there was clearly nothing funny lol. There's an example where she's doing this in Malala's wedding pics and no one else seems to be laughing at whatever imaginary thing was so funny. Malala's other friend is looking at her like "wtf are you doing?" lol.

- One reason why Vee applied to Harvard is because Malala applied there for a masters. Malala decided not to go but Vee was hoping to play up the image of going to an Ivy League straight from Oxford with her "bff" Malala. I heard a rumour that Malala wrote a letter of rec for Harvard for Vee but I don't know how true that is.

- I got the vibe that Vee was jealous that Malala had a lot of other friends in Oxford because she would try to be the center of Malala's attention in group settings. Just a vibe though. Vee has plenty of other close bffs but she acts like Malala is her bestest closest one. She's not.

- Like I said before, Vee tried to market herself as a changemaker in Oxford. Her access advocacy always centered herself and she never spoke up about the more serious issues with racism at Oxford. I don't think she ever used her platform to promote the student groups at Oxford who are doing the actual advocacy work and if she did I'm sure she brought the topic back to herself. She tried to take credit for Oxford speaking up about BLM last year but Oxford was already prepping a statement before she tweeted about it. I know this because I have a friend of a friend in the uni's comms team.

She was a fun person to be around at first but she became harder to be around when she bought into her own hype. The work that she's done is great but it's no where near as revolutionary as she's claiming it is. I'm really surprised that no one has exposed her for being a clout chaser yet (not just with Malala but becoming bffs with these other famous studytubers). Bye again!

 

[Welshgal]

I never liked her but now she’s really getting on my last nerve.

I detest how all these random influencers just get book deals thrown at them, when they’ve got zero talent for writing and don’t have anything new to say. It’s so unfair, when there are people out there who can write but will never be published because they didn’t sell their soul to yt

 

[just chillin]

This. She finished her masters degree in 8 months. She didn’t do a dissertation. Only having Harvard in your name doesn’t cut it.

and she always talks about being so passionate about education, but I've never... really seen that? studying the topic does not make the topic your passion or destiny. she quit her education job after three months. to me, an occasional viewer, it feels like education is her content creation niche rather than her passion.

edit: looks like @Oatmeall had the same thought at the same time lol

 

[Lola123]

Empowered
Vee Kativhu
From experiencing grief and leaving her home country of Zimbabwe for the UK, to attending disruptive state schools and working long hours to support herself and her mother, Vee Kativhu has faced much adversity. But through personal experience, she has triumphed, using her experience to help underprivileged and underrepresented people from all over the world recognise their own talent and achieve their goals. From graduating from Oxford and becoming a Harvard grad, to building an online community of over 200,000, Vee has become an icon and inspiration to young people in need of a boost of confidence, motivation and practical life advice.

Drawing from her inspirational journey, Vee will teach you how to:
- Set your life goals, career aspirations and actually achieve them
- Stay motivated in the face of rejection and hardship
- Learn from your mistakes
- Take chances, live your best life and don't let hardship define you
- Make the best lemonade the world has ever tested when life throws rotten lemons at you
- Cultivate feelings of self-love and self-empowerment

This book will inspire you how to live a more fulfilled, motivated and empowered life in everything you do.

Sorry but she got lucky, getting into oxford doesn’t happen to everyone like her... sick of these influencers becoming middle class and thinking they can then sell their good luck to their followers

 

[emmer_moans]

Vee keeps posting Getty images photos of her at "changemaker" events but what does she actually do apart from get on planes and post for photos? All I have seen is that she does the occasional Q and A on panels, but what actual change is she bringing? I just seen her post bout lots of parties and a new outfit for each one. I can't help but feel sceptical.

 

[bigreputation]

She somehow made quitting her job after a few months sound like an achievement. Wonder if balloons and a self-made trophy are to follow...

 

[pumpkin87]

With her connection to Zimbabwe and her drive it makes me disappointed to see that she isn't even considering moving there for a while and starting her own projects focused on girl's education. It isn't an easy job, but working in a developing country is quite grateful in the sense that you can have a great impact on many people even with small scale initiatives.

Or she could use her studies and knowledge to partner with already existing NGOs in Eastern Africa and support them developing policies, theoretical frameworks, programmes, there is just SO MUCH she could be doing.

 

[StonesThrowaway2]

Yes her achievements are amazing. But she’s so unbearably smug and entitled that it’s really hard to be happy for her. Using Malala for social media attention and as the poster girl for her vlogs and posts is just manipulative.

StonesThrowaway here again, deleted my account and then decided to make a new one to spill tea about Vee lol. Has anyone ever called her out on her using Malala like this? It's embarrassingly obvious. Newsflash: if your brand is based on having a famous friend or people only talk about you/your videos because of your famous friend, then you clearly don't have much to offer.

I have so much I could say about Vee from my time in Oxford with her! Long story short: she overestimates her own importance and exaggerates her accomplishments as seen with the "plaque" and "singed" 200 books that she sent. She says that she challenged Harvard and Oxford but her "challenging" Oxford was her very surface level "I felt out of place because of my background" aka stuff that MANY other people in Oxford have said before. Last year Vee tweeted something about how Oxford hadn't said anything about BLM and then Oxford tweeted something a few mins later. She then liked some tweets from her stans claiming that Oxford did it because of her when really it was just a coincidence. There are plenty of people who challenge the status quo in Oxford but Vee isn't one of them. I want to root for her because she's not a typical white upper class studytuber but it's been hard ever since she bought into her own hype.

There's some more that I can spill about her since we had some mutual friends but I'll save that for another time lol