The 2026-27 school year is in full swing, and a handful of campus all-stars are getting new opportunities thanks to Alex Cooper‘s Unwell. The media company announced its latest cohort for Unwell University, a collective of college students who share their experiences on social media.
Unwell University has existed in its current capacity since 2024, shortly after the official launch of Cooper’s company. The higher-ed students who have joined the initiative across multiple classes have used the resulting visibility to jumpstart their creative careers. Participants in Unwell University receive a number of perks, including mentorship and the ability to participate in events led by Cooper herself, including the Unwell Spring Break and Unwell campus tour.
The latest Unwell University class showcases the initiative’s stated mission to “foster a diverse community of college creators who champion the Unwell brand through relatable content, shared experiences, and genuine connection.” Some members of the cohort, like Kaiden Kilpatrick of the University of Alabama, Sharlize True Trujillo of UCLA, and Matty Weisholtz of Syracuse University, attend schools that are known for promoting on-campus creators. Kiki Winchell delivers dispatches from a Canadian school (University of Western Ontario) while Julieanna Downes chronicles the HBCU experience at North Carolina A&T State. And while the vast majority of Unwell University creators are women, Crishawn Willingham offers a male viewpoint from the University of South Florida.
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The creators enrolled in Unwell University have a median reach of about 31,000 followers, and by participating in the program, they can evolve from campus icons into nationally known names. In exchange for that exposure, Unwell connects itself to the next generation of collegiate voices.
Since its inception, Cooper’s network has aligned itself with creators who rose up while they were still in school. Unwell’s marquee launch partners, Alix Earle and Madeleine Argy, both fit that description. (Earle is no longer affiliated with Unwell, while Argy has hosted more than 100 episodes of her Unwell-produced podcast Pretty Lonesome.)
Unwell University also strengthens the network’s ties to Greek life. Sorority sisters have become a category unto themselves on TikTok, and Cooper has dipped into that community in search of podcast hosts and other partners. According to Unwell, 45 members of Unwell’s latest cohort are involved in Greek life, 18 are involved in campus athletics, and 12 are in student government.
So as Cooper continues to share the spotlight with rising creators, her network will paint a picture of what campus life looks like in the 2020s. There are a lot of perspectives worth seeing, and Unwell University is casting a wide net.
