There are many paths to TikTok fame during coronavirus lock down: reunited families, at-home haircuts, a naked spouse surprising another. Luca Petrogalli has taken a very different route to virality. Petrogalli, 19, is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. These days he has become the big man on campus. In fact, he may be the only man on campus.
For nearly a month now, Petrogalli has lived there in total seclusion, chronicling it on the short-form video app with a mix of charm, humor and pathos that would earn top marks in any film-studies course. “I did see someone last week,” admits Petrogalli, speaking via FaceTime and clad in the Jordan hoodie that he has lived in during much of his sequestration. “They were moving their stuff out.”