Sitting down at his desk, he gets into position as he prepares to start recording. Pressing the tiny button on the right of his hand-handled camera, he spontaneously introduces the video’s topic of the day. At this point his nervous energy has dwindled, comfort radiating from his posture. When ready to begin he utters his signature line, “OK guys, my name is Aankit Pokhrel.”

Sophomore Aankit Pokhrel began vlogging in the middle of last winter. It was the idea that his videos could last forever on the Internet that pushed him to film that first vlog. What he didn’t know was that he would develop a passion that would change the way he communicated with the people in his life. From this moment on, vlogging would become a special part of his life.

Vlogging has become a special outlet for Pokhrel to connect with his distant family. His family lives in Nepal, where Pokhrel was born, and besides calling every once in awhile, Pokhrel rarely gets to share what his life is like here in America. These videos are like a bridge that connects his life in America to Nepal.

“I pick a day to record each week,” Pokhrel said. “I try to post once a week, usually on Saturday evening.”

Many people are familiar with Pokhrel’s vlogs. In the short amount of time he has had his channel, he has acquired 56 subscribers. Although Pokhrel is the star, he sometimes allows others to be in his videos with him.

“If I know someone is okay with being in my vlog then I’ll just record them without asking,” Pokhrel said. “Some people tell me to put certain things or themselves in my vlogs, which I have no problem doing.”

Pokhrel’s vlogs cover everything from what he is buying at the grocery store to the rundown of a soccer game. These small glimpses of his life allows his viewers to better paint a picture of Pokhrel’s personality and interests.

“‘We Won the Game’ is my favorite vlog because it was the first soccer game I won with this school,” Pokhrel said. “I really liked how I edited it and the transitions I chose for the video.”

Pokhrel’s family has remained close despite their separation. Although through the years staying connected was difficult, with the use of phone calls and Skype, there has rarely been any important information forgotten to be shared. Vlogging solidified this claim.

“I like to vlog so that my extended family can see my life here in Texas,”  Pokhrel said. “I like knowing that wherever we are, we can always go back to these videos and relive fun memories.”