At the beginning of the semester, a new Instagram page appeared called humansofstevens. Unlike the popular tea pages revealing the hidden gossip on campus, this account has a different approach: It posts a sometimes candid and always beautiful photo of a student, captioned with a joyful, intimate quote about their life.
In one post, student Gaby Borodyansky, seen sitting behind the glass facade of Kung Fu Tea, told an account of a recent moment of excitement and pride. “When my mom told me that I got into med school, it was the happiest I’ve been in a while,” she said. “Not because I got in, but because SHE told me, and SHE was happy.”
In another post, a student, seen typing away on their laptop, told the account, “My happiest moment of the last five years? I think it was getting into Stevens. That was the perfect balance between being close to my mom, having independence, and going to a good school.”
Jake Meiskin and Morgan Brenner are the faces behind the new account. The page grew from an idea that Meiskin had with Sara Klein, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. Meiskin is a part of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) CARES, which is a committee aimed towards openness and vulnerability within the fraternity. He wanted to create something bigger, something for the whole campus.
“Originally we had a few ideas, and this became the best for us to interact and get people to share who they are, outside of their major at a tech school.” Meiskin said. Brenner, who is not a member of SigEp, joined this project to create a page “to promote openness and vulnerability.” By sharing something personal with Humans of Stevens, “you’re taking the power away from those who would spread it as gossip,” Brenner said. “We’re not looking for gossip in the first place! Everyone thinks this school is so small; however, it is surprising how much can be learned from people we do not normally interact with.”
To both of them, the point of Humans of Stevens is “to have people tell their stories,” Meiskin said. “The bigger goal […] is that by having people who you may know, or not know, share their stories, the overall culture of Stevens is to be more open and willing to share something about themselves.”
When asked what they would like to achieve by the end of the semester for the page, Meiskin simply stated, “I just want to spread openness as much as possible before I graduate, like a legacy after I am gone.” While Meiskin had a wholesome goal, Brenner reflected on a more quantitative one: “I’ll be honest,” he said, “my goal is to have more followers than all the tea pages.” (Humans of Stevens has 449 followers at the time of writing.)
How can students take part in the Humans of Stevens? Interviews for the page are taken in person. The two owners have their cameras on them pretty much all the time. They are starting to post about their friends; however, their goal “is to be asking students we pass on the street or on campus.” On the Humans of Stevens account, students can find a link to a Google Form for people to fill out if they want to get interviewed, but Meiskin and Brenner “want to just wander around campus and talk.”
“A big issue across the nation right now is the average students covering issues,” Meiskin expressed. “We want to have Stevens campus and culture more open to sharing things about themselves.”
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