JaLisa Vaughn-Jefferson has quite the following on social media.
Sixty-four thousand followers on YouTube. How about 607,000 followers on Instagram. And 415,000 followers on Tik Tok.
Known professionally as Jalisa Vaughn, the Pittsburgh native left a lucrative career in Information Technology to become a content creator full-time. She said that by 2017, she was making more income from her Instagram page than her previous career.
(ALL PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Now a Dallas, Tex., resident, Vaughn-Jefferson decided to hold a “Future Her” conference in her hometown of Pittsburgh to show young women their purpose, build their confidence and motivate them to their future successes.
The event was held, July 18, 2026, at Ice House Studios in Lawrenceville.
The “Young Influencers Symposium” was held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for those aged 13-21. The “Meet and Greet” was held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for those over 21. The motto of the event was, “Empowering the next generation of young women to lead, create and influence.”
On her blog, Vaughn-Jefferson wrote that it was a “surreal” moment to bring such an inspirational event to her hometown. “Standing in a room filled with so many bright, talented and ambitious young women was truly a full-circle experience,” she wrote. “I loved having the opportunity to speak with the girls, hear their stories and learn more about their dreams for the future. While I hope they left feeling inspired, encouraged and seen, I honestly believe the experience meant even more to me than it did to them. Their openness, excitement and willingness to receive everything we poured into them reminded me exactly why ‘Future Her’ was created.”
For those who aren’t too familiar with content creators, it has become a big business. Social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram allow “content creators” to post things about their lives, thoughts, ideas, hangouts, etc. Social media sites then sell advertisements that appear prior to, in the middle of, or at the end of the content creators’ posts. Out of the billions of dollars the social media sites generate from advertisements, the companies “pay” the content creators a small portion of the revenue. Oftentimes though, those “small portions” can be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions per year for the top content creators.
Vaughn-Jefferson, the Syracuse University-educated wife and mother of three children, regularly posts on Tik Tok about her family, vacations, and life’s ups and downs. She also posts about different fashions and hairstyles.
“This was only the beginning. I am so excited for ‘Future Her’ to become an annual experience that continues to grow, reach more young women and create a lasting impact for years to come,” Vaughn-Jefferson wrote on her blog. “Pittsburgh, thank you for welcoming me home with so much love. I cannot wait to do it all again.”
