Mexican-American Star Sara Echeagaray Convinced Her Parents That TikTok Wasn’t a Waste of Time…And They’re So Glad She Did!

All it takes is one look at Sara Echeagaray’s TikTok profile to understand how she’s been able to make it part of her career.

Echeagaray is a content creator and actress who quickly gained a following on the app for her relatable videos and charismatic personality. During the peak of the Covid pandemic, she was homeschooled, and boredom soon ensued. She started making TikTok videos for fun, sharing peeks into her daily life. She would share everything from acting monologues and movie scene lip-syncs to beauty videos.

“Content creation flipped my life upside down, but, like, in the best way possible,” she tells FIERCE in an interview. “It opened up so many doors beyond what I could’ve ever imagined.”

Fast-forward just a few years later, and Echeagaray is on TV and embarking on a new creative role with makeup brand Too Faced. Continue reading to learn more about her work and how she convinced her parents a career in social media would be worth it.

She’s always known she wanted to act

Echeagaray was raised in Southern Texas as a first-generation Mexican-American. She started doing theater when she was 13 years old, inspired by actors she watched growing up on Disney Channel. She particularly looked up to Selena Gomez, a fellow Latina in an industry she wanted to be a part of.

When she joined TikTok, she started seeing her audience grow over time. Little did she know, this escape from reality would be her path to reaching her career goals.

“I never intended to gain popularity on TikTok or anything like that,” Echeagaray shared, adding, “It sort of just happened naturally, and I’m forever grateful.”

Her monologues landed in the right eye: producers at Disney+. Seeing her talent, they called her in for an audition for their original series, “Big Shot.” She landed the role of Ava Navarro, a former beach volleyball player turned basketball starter.

Convincing her parents to let her pursue social media was a challenge

As amazing as these opportunities were, Echeagaray’s biggest obstacle was getting her parents’ approval. Creating content on TikTok for a career is still considered an open market, but even more so three or four years ago. 

Yet, Echeagaray’s parents were in for a shock when she told them she was quitting college to pursue it and acting full-time.

“My mom said, ‘Come to me when you hit a million followers.’ And that is exactly what I did,” said Echeagaray. 

She was determined to quell their worries and prove this was her right path. Their doubt fueled her motivation, and it became a sustainable career for her.

“Today, they’re super supportive,” said Echeagaray. “I couldn’t be more grateful that they pushed me and believed in me the way they do.”

Joining the Too Faced family was a no-brainer

Another mind-blowing opportunity that came her way was the chance to work with Too Faced in a first-of-its-kind role. 

Echeagaray is the makeup brand’s Creative Director-in-Residence, sprinkling her Gen Z point of view across their social media channels. She’s focusing on adding more of a human connection between the brand and consumers.

In addition to her hand in creative areas, Echeagaray curated her bundle of favorite products and collaborated on an exclusive maple syrup pancake shade of their staple plumping gloss.

“When Too Faced reached out to me with the position, my immediate reaction was, ‘Wait, me?! Are you sure?!'” she recalled. “It just didn’t seem real!”

Echeagaray’s first introduction to Too Faced was when her cousin gifted her one of their foundations. She was just starting to explore makeup, so the brand wanting to work with her is “a true full-circle moment” for her.

Her POV as a Latina has taken her career to new heights

The 21-year-old says she has gained many skills thanks to her Latina culture, which has helped her in the world of business. Being exposed to many different cultures, people, and experiences where she grew up made her more open-minded.

“I’ve also seen the struggles my immigrant parents went through, and I think that just made me more resilient overall, but especially when it comes to my career,” said Echeagaray.

That resilience has also helped her tackle any thoughts of imposter syndrome. When Too Faced approached her for her new role, she was shocked. But then she thought, ‘Why not me?’

“If you feel called to do something or if the universe brings an opportunity or idea to you, then it’s meant to be done by you,” said Echeagaray when asked to advise Latinas looking to start a new project. “If you have a passion, you owe it to yourself to fulfill it!”

Echeagaray recommends reminding yourself of your purpose as motivation. She firmly believes in the phrase, “if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.” Knowing that everything happens for a reason takes some of the pressure off of every aspect of life.

“Plus, the community is so supportive,” she adds. “You’ll have so many people rooting for you to start, myself included!”