By Bailey Burns ’22
I’d had the idea for Humans of Oglethorpe since freshman year.
I wanted an outlet where I could take students’ stories and put them out into the world. Oglethorpe is very supportive of students having and using their voice and I thought this was the perfect way to project that. My goal was to sit down and just have a conversation with students or faculty and hear their stories.
I’ve gotten to know a lot of people from doing this, and most of them being people I would have never met otherwise. It’s interesting to see what the person chooses to talk about as well. I’ve heard about people’s favorite spots in Atlanta, how they came to Oglethorpe, hobbies they have outside of school, and even places they’ve grown up.
It’s also important to me that other people hear their stories as well. It prompts other people to come forward because of the courage other people had to speak up.
Humans of Oglethorpe started as once-a-week web stories on The Source, but they’re now being posted on the university’s YouTube channel.
I’ve learned many skills through this project such as writing and interviewing skills. The series has gained a lot of traction as well, so I’m excited to see where the future takes it.
