There are 10,323 stories on campus.
That’s how many students are at TCU. However, with such a large student body, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd and miss out on the stories of fellow Horned Frogs. One TCU professor is trying to change that.
Associate Professor Dr. Amiso George has started Humans of TCU — a spin-off of the popular blog Humans of New York.
Humans of New York (HONY) was launched in 2010 to provide a daily glimpse into the lives of strangers in New York City, according to its website. HONY has over 16 million followers on Facebook, 4.7 million on Instagram and a book that made The New York Times Best Sellers list for 29 consecutive weeks.
George said she loves the idea of the stories of ordinary people, and she wanted to incorporate that here at TCU. Seeing faces in a crowd and then later reading about them online puts things into context, she said. TCU is a place where people are able to tell their own stories in their own words, George said.
TCU is a place where people are able to tell their own stories in their own words, George said.
“We are a Horned Frog Nation,” George said. “We have stories to tell.”
And Horned Frogs are telling their stories. The Humans of TCU Facebook page currently features more than 60 stories and has 741 “likes.”
“Reflecting on those who were trailblazers reminds me that I have a community of support to pursue my dreams.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Tuesday, February 16, 2016
“Crossfit is a great stress reliever.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Monday, February 15, 2016
“We started taking classes at TCU through the Silver Frog Program. Classes like ‘The Art of Relaxation’ and ‘Soil Preparation.'””We aren’t going to be dropouts. We’ve got to set a good example for our girls.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Tuesday, February 9, 2016
“I just got back from abroad and acclimating back to TCU has been kind of a struggle; but while abroad, I learned that…
Posted by Humans of TCU on Wednesday, January 27, 2016
“Even at my job I work with people from a bunch of different places and they go to TCU. I work with somebody from Africa, Russia, China and India and I get to talk to them all. It’s really cool.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Friday, February 12, 2016
“Hi I wake up at 5:00 o’clock in the morning for the last 17 years and I love my job! I love TCU because it is a good place for work and they have beautiful opportunities for everybody.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Thursday, February 18, 2016
“Making a super bowl commercial has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Wednesday, February 10, 2016
“I love that TCU doesn’t have any preconceived boundaries on what a program should be. For my office, there is great freedom to innovate.”
Posted by Humans of TCU on Monday, February 15, 2016
George said every story is different, and by not asking the subjects a specific question, it allows for unique responses. She said her advice is: “Stop somebody, start a conversation.”
“Let it be something that they tell you,” George said.
George said her passion for the initiative led her to implement it into her Strategic Writing course. She said she has her students complete two entries per week for class.
Elle Sparks, a student administrator on the project, said she works every day to monitor posts and find content for the page.
“We want this page to be a year-round thing where we post even during the breaks,” Sparks said. “That way, it’ll give you an even better idea of what the TCU community looks like, even outside of school.”
Meri Terpstra, a student in George’s Strategic Writing course, said the experience has helped her get to know people she otherwise would have missed.
“I intentionality try to talk to people who I always see, but never talk to,” Terpstra said. “It’s a good experience because I’m learning so much more about the people I am surrounded by, rather than assuming I know them just because I’ve seen their face before and they go to school with me.”
In addition to student stories, George said she plans to expand the project even further than TCU’s campus. She also said it could expand to more platforms beyond Facebook.
“We are working on getting more administrators, staff and faculty,” George said. “But even more than that, we’re going to look for TCU alumni around this area and beyond, because it’s about the Horned Frog Nation, regardless of where they are.”
