High School Student Says She Posted Her College Rejection Online 'to Share the Realness' (Exclusive)

"I've learned that rejection is totally redirection," Nicole Laeno tells PEOPLE after learning she will not be attending her "dream school" in the fall

A high school student is speaking candidly about why she shared her emotional college rejection letter online.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Nicole Laeno says she chose to post a clip of her being rejected from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), her "dream school," on TikTok earlier this month "to share the realness."

"Since the beginning, I just wanted to always show the realness and the raw stuff about growing up," Laeno, 18, says of her social media channels, which she has been operating since she was in sixth grade.

"I know my supporters, there's a lot of people around my age going through the same thing, so I don't want to sugarcoat anything or just post the good stuff," she continues.

"I also want to show them that this is a normal thing that happens, and it sucks in the moment, but it's something that you learn and grow from," adds Laeno.

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According to Laeno, she had dreamed of attending UCLA for as long as she can remember.

"I mean, I feel like as a senior, I've been preparing for this moment my whole life," she says. "Starting freshman year, that's when you start taking all these AP classes and honors classes and trying to join clubs and get all of your extracurriculars so that you can prepare for the college application."

"So when senior year came around, I was super, super nervous applying, hoping that all my hard work for the past four years would pay off and I would end up at a really good school, hoping UCLA," Laeno continues. "But I mean, I fantasized about UCLA for the longest time. I would go to the campus and go to the dance clinics, buy the merch, and just fully immersed myself into what it had to offer. I was just so excited and I hoped that that would be my place to be."

"So when March came around and I got my rejection letter, it honestly felt like a knife to the heart. It was just so heartbreaking," she adds.

Laeno likened the rejection to "a breakup, because I was just so connected with UCLA."

"All of my hopes and dreams that I had in my head for the last few years, they were just absolutely crushed," she says. "So it really took a toll on me because I always knew from the beginning, from applying to college, that I was going to end up there, or I was supposed to."

Laeno also notes that "it was really tough in the moment" to receive the rejection, especially alongside her family: mom Linda, dad Noel and brother Christian.

"With my family, it's like if one person is sad, everyone else is sad. So it just took a toll on everyone. Not only me, but everyone around me as well," she explains.

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Now, Laeno plans to instead study communications at San Diego State University in the fall.

She says sharing her authentic reaction online, and seeing it become viral, was something she never imagined would happen.

"I mean, I am very surprised by how many people it reached, and I was definitely shocked at the numbers it did," Laeno tells PEOPLE. "But I was really, really happy that most of the outcome was saying how, oh my gosh, I'm a senior too, and I'm going through the same thing. I just got rejected from my dream school. Or it was people that got rejected 10 years ago and resonated with the story now."

"It was really reassuring because those people, they were saying how they got rejected, but it was obviously the best thing that could have happened to them, and the place that they're in now, they're so grateful that the rejection happened," she continues. "So not only was I able to resonate with the other seniors ... but other people that went through it years ago, they were able to share their story too.

"I've learned that rejection is totally redirection. You cannot control your future. You cannot control your path. And what's meant for you is going to find you and vice versa," adds Laeno. "So getting that rejection, I will say it's honestly a blessing because now I've found my place at San Diego State University, and I'm just beyond excited to start this new chapter in my life."

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