Viral NC A&T State University professor starts TikTok trend
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — An NC A&T State University assistant professor became a viral sensation by posting a class syllabus and starting a TikTok trend.
NC A&T Assistant Professor Dr. Leah Barlow posted a short TikTok outlining her course on Jan. 20.
'I have traditional and non-traditional students, so I wanted a way to reach out to all 35 of them,' Barlow said.
Without any hashtags on the video, it reached more than 4 million people.
'I was shocked. I was ready to delete the page. I was a little bit horrified. I decided to delete the page. I privated the page and then decided to get back on,' Barlow said.
The demand she speaks of is from the people in her comment section from around the world.
So Barlow kept on posting videos for her now 500,000 followers to keep them informed along with her actual students.
Her content eventually inspired other Black and brown educators, especially those who work at HBCUs to do the same, giving birth to the Hillmantok trend.
'Hillman is of course a fictional institution from the show 'A Different World'.' Part of the trend is … showing their expertise from gardening to knitting to chemistry and to what I do, which is teaching African American Studies,' Barlow said.
It's a trend she's glad to have started and hopes other educators help her continue.
'It's a wonderful opportunity for people to provide free education … which we love,' Barlow said.
After starting the Hillmantok trend, Barlow says it caught the attention of those who run the social media app.
She was invited to HBCUNight at a Washington Wizards game.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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