Cataleya’s TikTok influence

Cataleya Bengochea, ten, took social media by storm when she began posting TikTok videos to help motivate people.

Her main reason for doing so is to highlight certain issues so that people can see them through the eyes of a child.

Three years ago, she and her four siblings who are between the ages of 14 and 18 started posting videos on YouTube, but they switched to TikTok soon after.

“Most of the videos are done with all of us, but when something happens with just me, I might just do it by myself,” Cataleya told Newsday Kids.

She said she and her siblings only practice when they want to post a dance video. Other than that, they record and post when the inspiration hits, which could be at any time.

Her videos, with and without her siblings, can be found on TikTok under the username thefantasticfives.

Cataleya said what she likes the most about doing these videos is that they are motivational and give children a voice.

“I mostly like the fact that my videos motivate people and speak out for children just like me.”

Outside of making videos, Cataleya plays the steelpan and dances. She said she has been playing pan since she was nine and dancing for as long as she can remember. And she has been quite active with her entertainment ventures, as she was asked twice last December to play at two different Christmas parties.

“Hopefully, I get called to play more soon,” she said in a sing-song tone.

Her inspiration for getting involved in playing the steelpan came from seeing and hearing the Arima Angel Harps Steel Orchestra play.

“Every night I passed by the Arima Angel Harps Pan Yard, then I joined and it became one of my hobbies. But not only one of my hobbies, but one of my passions.”

Last year, she won the inaugural Little Miss Christmas pageant, put on by Little Miss Trinidad and Tobago and held at Trinity College East auditorium. And although she was happy she won, she said, “Seeing the sad faces (of the girls who didn’t win) made me sad as well.”

Cataleya said her favourite part of the pageant was getting to play the steelpan for the audience and getting to model in her best dresses.

She said participating in her hobbies makes her feel happy and calm.

This junior influencer hopes to grow up to be a motivational speaker and a pannist, and a philanthropist like her mother Ray Bengochea.

“This is so I can open a home for the needy, because I would like to carry on the tradition of feeding the needy every month like what my mummy does with us.”

With her interest in many different hobbies and activities, her mother started a Facebook page called Cataleya Multi-Talented Foundation.

She said it’s meant to help encourage other children to part take in activities rather than be idle.

“It’s to get kids more involved in different things... it’s meant to get to them to do different things, not just be there and give your mummy trouble.”

She said wants the foundation to grow so that children can get involved and be their own role model or a role model to others. She said children can look out for activities and events from the foundation later this year, the first being a crash course for children and other youths to learn to play the steelpan.

Her advice to children who may want to make their own videos?

“I would like to tell them to keep being positive, and if anything comes across as disrespectful, just say what I say, ‘No disrespect.’”

Her mother said she says “No disrespect” a lot because sometimes her outspoken manner may be viewed by some people as disrespectful.