Last month, I had the opportunity to meet one of my heroes at a gymnastics meet. Livvy Dunne is an American college gymnast and social media influencer from New Jersey. She is currently a senior at LSU and this year will be her last year as a competitive gymnast. Livvy grew up in Hillsdale, New Jersey and started training gymnastics in 2005 when she was only three years old. When Livvy was 14 years old, she started homeschooling so she could dedicate more time to gymnastics. 

Many college students use Tik Tok, but no one uses it quite like Livvy. Livvy joined Tik Tok in 2020 and by February, 2023 she was named the most followed NCAA athlete on social media. She originally gained popularity because of her amazing talent in the sport of gymnastics. More recently, she started posting videos of her life outside of the gym which raised her profile even more. Livvy joined the LSU gymnastics team in 2020 and is best known for her performances on the uneven bars. She scored a 9.9 and contributed to LSU’s second place team finish at the SEC Championships as well as at many other meets. 

In 2002, the NCAA changed their rules to allow college athletes to profit off their sport, name, and image Now, Livvy continues to post content on social media; she makes an estimated $1 million per year and she will most likely earn more than any other collegiate athlete due to her combined 5 millions followers and brand deals. 

I met Livvy at a Quad Gymnastics meet in Utah with some of my teammates. I watched her compete on floor and though she only competed two events and wasn’t the best gymnast on her team, she showed a lot of talent. I had a great time meeting and talking to her, I really appreciate how she has elevated the profile of the sport. I am also inspired by how she makes all the hard work look like fun!