By Shea Robinson
Many are familiar with the internet sensation Humans of New York, a blog that features every day New Yorkers on the streets of the city. The creator, Brandon Stanton, sets out each day with a camera in his hand and approaches any person he finds interesting. Stanton simply asks for a photograph then begins to interview the subject. He discovers that each person has something to tell which will set them aside from everyone else. Some give advice, some tell stories, some defy all stereotypes that may be associated with their appearances.
As an avid follower of Stanton’s work, I was inspired by him to set out and find interesting things about students I have met in the past two weeks here at Boston University’s Summer Challenge Program. Little did I know how rewarding this experience would be. I realized, as Stanton had long ago, that we’re all in our separate worlds and we don’t stop to think that everyone we walk by on the way to class or in the dining hall has their own stories that make us who we are.
I was able to meet up with a few students and get a little insight into their own lives.
Many are familiar with the internet sensation Humans of New York, a blog that features every day New Yorkers on the streets of the city. The creator, Brandon Stanton, sets out each day with a camera in his hand and approaches any person he finds interesting. Stanton simply asks for a photograph then begins to interview the subject. He discovers that each person has something to tell which will set them aside from everyone else. Some give advice, some tell stories, some defy all stereotypes that may be associated with their appearances.
As an avid follower of Stanton’s work, I was inspired by him to set out and find interesting things about students I have met in the past two weeks here at Boston University’s Summer Challenge Program. Little did I know how rewarding this experience would be. I realized, as Stanton had long ago, that we’re all in our separate worlds and we don’t stop to think that everyone we walk by on the way to class or in the dining hall has their own stories that make us who we are.
I was able to meet up with a few students and get a little insight into their own lives.
Cyanne Rohlf
“I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which is like a hipster part of Brooklyn, but right now all the hipsters are kind of getting kicked out. These business people are moving into all of these high-rises that are being built so it went from really artsy and hip to somewhere where people go to walk their French Bulldogs and Poodles… The neighborhood itself has become full of rich kids who come from North Carolina that just want a job in the city and decided they want a penthouse in the high-rises. Normally you’d be able to talk to them about their stories and now they’re just boring people. People are becoming more bland and cookie-cutter rather than the large diverse group of people that came from all over the world.”
“I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which is like a hipster part of Brooklyn, but right now all the hipsters are kind of getting kicked out. These business people are moving into all of these high-rises that are being built so it went from really artsy and hip to somewhere where people go to walk their French Bulldogs and Poodles… The neighborhood itself has become full of rich kids who come from North Carolina that just want a job in the city and decided they want a penthouse in the high-rises. Normally you’d be able to talk to them about their stories and now they’re just boring people. People are becoming more bland and cookie-cutter rather than the large diverse group of people that came from all over the world.”
Arielle Eisen
“Can I be really deep with this? This fact that people all conform to this mold that you go to school, and then you go to college, and then you get married, and then you have kids... I think my biggest struggle is trying to break from that mold.”
“How would you break from that mold?”
“I really want to go to art school, I want to make something that changes people’s lives through art.”
“Can I be really deep with this? This fact that people all conform to this mold that you go to school, and then you go to college, and then you get married, and then you have kids... I think my biggest struggle is trying to break from that mold.”
“How would you break from that mold?”
“I really want to go to art school, I want to make something that changes people’s lives through art.”
Swetha Rathnam
“My parents came so far, my grandparents started so low. My father’s father died very early and he had to raise the family from a really young age. They were put to poverty but my dad has come so far. For my dad and my mom to come all the way here from India, make a living, and get me to where I can be, I find that so inspiring. If I can do that and better, that’s where you find some accomplishment. If you can’t reach that standard, then what did you really do?”
“My parents came so far, my grandparents started so low. My father’s father died very early and he had to raise the family from a really young age. They were put to poverty but my dad has come so far. For my dad and my mom to come all the way here from India, make a living, and get me to where I can be, I find that so inspiring. If I can do that and better, that’s where you find some accomplishment. If you can’t reach that standard, then what did you really do?”
Simon Wieder
“One of the things I like to do when I meet new people is ask them what makes them different from everyone else. It’s interesting the answers I get.
I really try to value people’s personalities, which is why I ask that question. I try to see past looks and go deeper. I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover but that's really cliche, you shouldn’t use that as my quote, but then you should use that as my quote.”
“One of the things I like to do when I meet new people is ask them what makes them different from everyone else. It’s interesting the answers I get.
I really try to value people’s personalities, which is why I ask that question. I try to see past looks and go deeper. I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover but that's really cliche, you shouldn’t use that as my quote, but then you should use that as my quote.”
Madison Davis
In Arkansas, people all kind of follow each other around. If one person starts doing something different, which is really rare, then everybody’s like ‘we all gotta do that’”
In Arkansas, people all kind of follow each other around. If one person starts doing something different, which is really rare, then everybody’s like ‘we all gotta do that’”
Kaleigh Conti
“Don’t judge others because you never know what kind of situation they might be in. It’s human nature to see someone and have a thought pop into your head and sometimes they're negative and those are the thoughts that really don’t need to come up. I used to judge people really hard and I was definitely not nice with it but then I realized how much it sucks to be judged yourself.”
“Don’t judge others because you never know what kind of situation they might be in. It’s human nature to see someone and have a thought pop into your head and sometimes they're negative and those are the thoughts that really don’t need to come up. I used to judge people really hard and I was definitely not nice with it but then I realized how much it sucks to be judged yourself.”
Maddie Neiman
“Completely forget about the emotion of embarrassment. I used to work at a Russian tea-house, I had to make a smoothie one day and I made it with salt instead of sugar. I genuinely thought I was never gonna live it down but my way of coping was I went to school and I told everyone the story. If I hadn't been embarrassed by it i don’t think I ever would have learned from it. And I promise you, I will never mistake sugar and salt again.
When I took the time to listen to other students I was reminded that they all have opinions, experiences, hopes, and dreams just like you and me. This experience was very humbling because it reminded me that, although I may have my own struggles, there are always people out there who are suffering through harder times than I ever have or people who do not have the same privileges as I do. By listening to what these students have to say, I became more aware of myself and how my interactions with others do affect them. Reading Humans of New York and carrying out these interviews gave me a sense of connectedness with the world; the five minutes I spent with each interviewee and the thoughts they shared will stay with me for much longer than they might realize. I will use their advice in my own life and take into consideration some of their thoughts and opinions the as I am making my own decisions.
“Completely forget about the emotion of embarrassment. I used to work at a Russian tea-house, I had to make a smoothie one day and I made it with salt instead of sugar. I genuinely thought I was never gonna live it down but my way of coping was I went to school and I told everyone the story. If I hadn't been embarrassed by it i don’t think I ever would have learned from it. And I promise you, I will never mistake sugar and salt again.
When I took the time to listen to other students I was reminded that they all have opinions, experiences, hopes, and dreams just like you and me. This experience was very humbling because it reminded me that, although I may have my own struggles, there are always people out there who are suffering through harder times than I ever have or people who do not have the same privileges as I do. By listening to what these students have to say, I became more aware of myself and how my interactions with others do affect them. Reading Humans of New York and carrying out these interviews gave me a sense of connectedness with the world; the five minutes I spent with each interviewee and the thoughts they shared will stay with me for much longer than they might realize. I will use their advice in my own life and take into consideration some of their thoughts and opinions the as I am making my own decisions.