"I didn’t really know what to do, I was nervous because I felt like I didn’t have a brand or a niche…but I kind of got to figure it out and learned a lot along the way," she said. "And I guess I never really stopped posting and have really enjoyed it and started to find a niche of being this real life 'Emily in Paris'."

"Emily in Paris" is a popular Netflix show that follows an American girl, Emily, played by Lily Collins, who moves from Chicago to Paris to work in social media marketing. She also posts about her experiences online in the show. 

When VanAlstine, who fits these characteristics to a tee, even having worked in the building where a portion of the show was filmed, posted about these connections on TikTok, the video garnered almost two million views.

VanAlstine says the show presented a lot of similarities and scenes she felt she could relate to.

"I think in the first season they play more into the culture shocks of her trying to find her apartment and going to the wrong floor like yes, that’s true the floors are different levels here," she said. 

Other scenes, however, are exaggerated and perpetuate stereotypes, VanAlstine said.

"A lot of times you don’t see her work a full day, I do work a full day," she said. "The stereotype that French people don’t work isn’t true, they just have a good work/life balance. I have 35 vacation days which is amazing… but while I am here I am really working… we’re not only working like four hours a day."

Another key difference between VanAlstine and her character is that Emily was transferred to Paris from her job in Chicago. VanAlstine has been wanting to work and live in Paris since she was a kid. 

"I always really wanted to move to Paris," VanAlstine said. "My mom was a French teacher which inspired me to start taking French in seventh grade and I just loved it. I loved learning languages…and when I got to college I continued learning French."

In fact, the only thing that stopped VanAlstine from getting a minor in French was France itself. 

"I was only one or two classes short from getting a minor," she said. "I actually only did three and a half years, instead of four, because I did a six month internship in Paris."

In March of 2021, VanAlstine began as a social media intern for an online art gallery in Paris. For the first three months, she worked remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last three months, however, were spent in Paris and strengthened her love for the city and her dream to live there. 

"That’s how I really got into social media, I learned so much during that internship and also fell more in love with Paris," she said. "I was like ‘I have to come back,' I was crying on the plane home."

After her internship, VanAlstine finished out her senior year at MSU and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. By then, she was almost exclusively applying for jobs in Paris, and she got one, two months before she had even graduated.

"I found one (company) that was looking for a community and events manager… and they wanted someone to start right away in January," she said. "So I started working remotely for a few months and then I moved over like two weeks after I graduated."

VanAlstine continues to work full time in marketing while posting a variety of content related to her life in Paris to her almost 85 thousand followers on TikTok. Some videos focus on Emily in Paris, but she also enjoys posting Paris travel tips and fashion content. 

Since gaining a following, VanAlstine said not much has changed, except now she has been able to meet people she may have never met before and even work with brands. 

"I grew up coming to Paris and going to these department stores… and now I am working with these brands and meeting people behind these brands and creating content for them," she said.

She has also been able to meet a lot of new people, from followers to other content creators, some who have become close friends. 

"I’ve had people come up to me on the street and say ‘oh my gosh, I follow your content’ and then we get to talk to them and hear about their stories in Paris and even end up being friends with them," she said. "It just feels like I have a bit of a community."

Apart from the social benefits that have come from her content, VanAlstine also got her current job because the company found her through her account. 

For the past year, she has been working for a social networking company called Amo as the content lead. The company is a startup and VanAlstine has been there since they began developing their current social networking app, Bump. 

"I am really excited about growing Amo and our apps and startups," she said. "For me, it’s really important that I believe in what I am working on and I do love our app."

VanAlstine does not see herself leaving Paris anytime soon. She is passionate about her job and hopes to continue to grow her social media following as well.

"I have a visa that lasts four years since I got it, so I have two more years and then my current job will sponsor me if I decide I want to keep staying," she said. "We’ll see how my life pans out… but definitely for the foreseeable future, I don’t want to leave Paris."