Shea Glover is making a name for herself, even if you’ve never heard of her.

I often come back to this theme of online footprints. It’s fascinating to me that kids applying to college have never lived in a world where you couldn’t find—and more importantly, share—just about anything online. Once you put it out there on the Internet, the world—not an agent or a publisher or a distribution company—gets to decide whether or not it spreads, and how long it stays relevant. It may never completely disappear, as Google never forgets. That’s an awesome power to have at your fingertips, one that could propel you to Internet stardom or even hurt you for years to come if you aren’t protective of your online legacy.

Shea recently did what she called a “social experiment” at her high school, one that she recorded and then uploaded to YouTube. It’s since been watched nearly 7 million times, boosted by social media and even a healthy amount of press. You can see what all the fuss is about here.

I don’t know Shea. I don’t have any idea what kind of person she is or what her goals for the future are. But I know that if you Google her name, the video is the first thing that pops up. That’s probably not going to change for a very long time. And given the positive response, Shea will likely get to take credit for her creativity for years, even if she never has another project resonate like this.

It takes real guts to put something you made out into the world. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be widely well-received or even understood. It just has to be something that makes you proud to have your name on it.