Every human being is made up of around 99 percent of the same six elements, but each is so different at the same time. Humans of Auburn's mission is to show that difference by sharing the stories of the different people around the Auburn community.
Inspired by Humans of New York, a photo blog and book that features street portraits and interviews from random people on the streets of New York City, and brought about by the Freshman Leadership Program (FLP) group, Humans of Auburn was created in spring 2014 and is constantly growing.
“Our goal is to show everyone in Auburn that you are not alone,” said Vice President of Humans of Auburn Nikki Panzica.
In the world and in each community, people are always looking for something to hold on to. People are looking for a similarity in someone else that makes them feel less lonely. When people can do this, it creates a sense of belonging that may not have been there before.
“It’s [Humans of Auburn] really to demonstrate the diversity that our University has and to demonstrate how that university doesn’t separate us but brings us closer together,” Panzica said.
Not only are the interviewee’s touched and grateful when talked to, but so are the staff.
“My favorite thing about Humans of Auburn is changing people’s lives in the smallest ways,” said Creative Director Camille Shepherd. “You can change a person’s day by just talking to them. They may need someone to talk to and not even know it."
“I love asking someone a question and finding people’s passions," Panzica said. "I love realizing that everyone here has something that they are passionate about, and usually that passion connects to why they came to Auburn."
The staffers of Humans of Auburn usually interview one person a week each, totaling to four a month. Their job is to go out into the community and talk to people about their stories.
“Our purpose is to bring a snapshot of a person’s life to the world and show everyone that everyone is just as complex as you are,” Shepherd said.
Humans of Auburn is currently on two social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and are in the works of growing their Instagram account to a larger scale.
"We want to be able to go up to someone on campus and ask 'Can we interview you for Humans of Auburn?' and they be like 'oh I love that club,'" Panzica said.
Humans of Auburn is focusing on marketing this semester and are determined to create more awareness of the organization through events like weekly O-Day's.
At O-Day, Humans of Auburn will have a poster that says "A Human of Auburn is_______." and when people walk by they want everyone to write down a word, for example, "determined" or "passionate."
Auburn University's marketing slogan, "the Auburn Family," is meant to spread a message of unity through Auburn students and faculty. Humans of Auburn is here to show everyone that the message holds true.
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