Micah Coleman with students in the Truman Media Program.
It’s a modern-day young-person’s dream – to become “internet famous,” and for one former Truman Media student and Co-Op City resident, that dream has come true. Now he’s using his celebrity status to give back to students at the school.
Micah Coleman, aka “Micawave” speaks to Truman Media students in October.
Micah Coleman, 26, a 2016 graduate of Truman’s Media Program is better known on the internet as “Micawave TV.” In October, Coleman came back to the school to speak to current students about his rise to streaming success.
“It felt good to come back after 7 years with something to offer,” Coleman says. “I saw a lot of myself in that room while I was speaking to those kids and it helps me to remember where I came from and how much I’ve grown. So it felt really good. It felt great.”
After leaving Truman, Coleman earned an associates degree in Communications from the Borough of Manhattan Community College. He went on to work a few different jobs into his early twenties. During that same time, a passion for streaming his video game play action- and his trademark comical reactions to those video games- grew. Before he knew it, he was earning enough income to step away from his day job, and stream full-time.
Coleman and media teacher Dave Roush
In February, he surpassed the 100-thousand subscriber mark on Youtube, earning him a silver play-button plaque. Coleman boasts over 2.1-million followers on TikTok, 213-thousand followers on Twitch and over 23-thousand followers on Instagram.
“It was really a ‘full-circle’ moment for me, as a teacher. We send these young adults off into the real world every June and hope they find their passion and pursue it,” according to media teacher, Mr. Dave Roush. “Seeing Micah achieve this kind of success – and then wanting to share it with my current students, is a rare and very fulfilling thing to see.”
“Opening editing software for the first time in the media program was a good memory for me because it exposed me to a level of creativity that I hadn’t been exposed to prior to that,” Coleman says.
A comical “thumbnail” image from Coleman’s Youtube.
After a brief talk with the students, Coleman pulled out his silver play-button plaque, then offered some one-on-one advice, and even some fun “selfie” photos with his student-fans.
“I hope that after my visit the kids realize that what I do – and occupations similar to what I do, are not as unattainable they thought prior. These kids can do whatever they want to do. They can do whatever they put their mind to, and that’s something I wanted to stress during that visit, but they have to put in the work and they have to be passionate about it,” Coleman added. “So yeah… I hope I made an impact.”