Instagram/Infinity Gilyard Infinity Gilyard pictured on her Instagram page on January 15.
Infinity Gilyard, Love & Hip Hop: New York Yandy Smith’s foster daughter, is quitting college in order to focus full time on her YouTube channel where she has 41,000 subscribers.
Gilyard, 18, was featured as a main storyline in Love & Hip Hop: New York season 9. Prior to the filming of the season, Yandy told VH1, “Since we wrapped season 8, I started the process of becoming a foster mom to a young lady, a young, amazing lady named Infinity. I met Infinity when she was in seventh grade and now she’s in tenth grade. She was a part of my mentorship program and she just completely stands out.” Yandy officially adopted Gilyard as her daughter in December 2019.
In a January 15 video, Gilyard said that she was studying at the City of New York but had decided that she couldn’t be a full-time student and a full-time YouTuber. Gilyard said that she finished her first semester with a 3.5 grade point average. At the time of writing, Yandy has yet to comment on Gilyard’s decision.
Gilyard Said in Her Video: ‘College Is Just Not for Everybody’
Gilyard said, “I have made the decision to drop out of college. I have decided that college is not for me. It is distracting me from my bigger purpose in life and my goals that I have personally for myself and not what those around me want.”
She continued, “College is just not for everybody. I want to pursue YouTube. I think this is where I should be. This is where I need to be. I’m willing to take that risk and that’s just what it’s about to be.”
Instagram/Infinity Gilyard
During the video, Gilyard did not mention Yandy by name but did say, “I don’t know what my mom’s going to say. That’s her business. I don’t know what my grandmother’s going to say. That’s her business. I don’t care about what my brother’s going to say because that’s their business. I don’t care about what y’all going to say cause that’s y’all business. I have made the decision to drop out of college. I will be withdrawing myself from college this week before second semester starts.”
Gilyard also said, “I want to take this very seriously and I’m going to take the risk of dropping out of college and putting my focus here. This is the year. I made the decision already. It is what it is, it’s going to be what it’s going to be. Now it’s time to put that work in.”
Gilyard finished with advice to those in similar positions, “Take risks. Walk out. Take that leap of faith. Make that decision and run with it. I already got my YouTube plan. I already got my real estate plan. I got mad stuff up my sleeve, do you hear me? Nobody knows this so y’all the first ones to see it. I’m probably going to get tons of phone calls, tons of text messages, but it’s fine because we getting older. You gotta learn to make decisions on your own. You gotta trust yourself, so I’m trusting myself.”
Gilyard Said in April 2020 that She Was Still Living With Yandy but Spent Much of Her Time at Her College Dorm
In an April 2020 video, Gilyard addressed concerns that she had been kicked out of Yandy’s home after her husband Mendeecees was released from prison.
Gilyard explained that she had been living in dorms during the week and sometimes didn’t go home due to having basketball practice. In addition, Gilyard said that she spent time with her biological family.
Yandy also addressed rumors that Gilyard was no longer part of her life in an Instagram post. Yandy chastised her followers to making jokes about Gilyard’s whereabouts saying, “How do you think she’d feel reading you say this. Of course it’s not true but how do you think it would make a CHILD feel?!!!! Kids should be off-limits. Damn. It be your own kind.”
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