Humans of Northwestern
Inspired by Brandon Stanton's famous Humans of New York page, this organization became the most popular student-run organization in just one month, gaining support from more than 50% of the student body in its first week.
With an understanding in the power of story, this organization strives to foster community among student, faculty, and staff by sharing experiences and mindsets with one another.
My role in this project was to schedule, photograph, and interview UNW student, faculty, and staff members bi-weekly for two academic semester, as well as determining the posting schedule based on the analytics / "insights" information provided via Facebook pages, measuring engagements and reactions.
"I’ve been on this campus for 7 years and if you follow my footsteps you will see me talking to people about the goodness of God.
Worry is a sin because He has the ability to provide for us so there is no reason because if you’re worried you cannot get what you want. We all need to concentrate on Him and relax and worship Him. He will do the rest.
I have a friend who has been out of school for 3 or 4 semesters, I go to her house to meet her family and we pray for her to get well. This is how He wants us to live for one another, he wants us to care for one another. I always want to be there for people. Even if I can’t give anything, let me give them word of encouragement."
"I'm heading to Dallas to visit my daycare provider who took care of me the first six years of my life. I don't know her really well anymore, but all I know is that she was there for me all the time for those six years, and I have that special and unique bond with her. I have always felt really close to her and she's always saying 'come visit,' so my sister, my mom, and I are finally going to go visit."
"The Phantom’s story is like a lot of our stories. He’s broken, he’s hurt and he wears a mask. In telling his story, it’s helping me see the world differently and see people who are like the phantom and in some way they need that compassion because they don’t want the world to see them for who they are.
Stories and telling them is a way to explore the world around us and connect the creativity the Lord gave us.”
You look back and think “Wow I was busy with my to do list that sometimes I'd miss the beauty and gifts of every day.”
I still am on this journey to be a better person and all that God wants me to be; therefore, I do still tell myself every day to smell the roses. I ask myself, “What is it about this day that you can enjoy, and how can you connect to another person and help them?”
“It was a lot to take in my first few days here. I had to slowly take in different parts of the school. I would just walk around during the days I had free time and get lost and find my way back.
One day, I walked in the Naz chapel and thought, 'I’m not holy enough to be in this place.' I was blown away by the beauty and I could feel the rich history in there.”
“I lost my biological parents. The people in the orphanage were my family but not having parents was hard. Sometimes you forget to be appreciative, but I’m super thankful to come here and have parents.
I am the person I am today because of the examples my parents are in my life. My sisters taught me to be myself. When I first came here I wanted to fit in, but my sisters accepted me for who I am and loved me for who I was.”