A picture is worth a thousand words.
For our first activity, we asked students to tell your story of who they are and from where they came from. Students used their iPad to take a photo of the spaces around them thinking about what stories those images tell about their lives leading up to the journey to NKU.
Students sent in one of their photos and a 100-150 word photo essay. We selected some of their stories to include on our social media sites using the hashtags #humansofgreatercincinnati #journerytonku2020 #beanorse
On the evening of Wednesday, August 19th at 7:30pm, students, faculty, and staff will meet together via Zoom to share their stories and meet one another as their journey at NKU begins in earnest.
In addition to meeting the team who are working on this project, the students will also participate in small breakout sessions to meet students from across NKU ROCKS and the Honors College who are participating in this project by using their iPads to facilitate this online meeting.
In the spirit of the Humans of New York series, students will seek to capture their own story at NKU by taking a self-portrait (or having someone else take their photograph) and telling their story.
These short photo-essays will allow students to get to one another before working together on the next stages of this project. It will also allow them to share their stories with a broader community and learn about the diverse experiences of their fellow NKU students who join us from across the globe.
Students will work in groups of 4-5 to interview someone at or around NKU and share their stories. The goal here is to shed light on the “Unsung Heroes” of the university. Who are the people that make NKU run? Who are the unsung people who don’t receive the recognition that they deserve? How has the pandemic and changes in how our university operates affected their lives? What stories do they have to tell? What can we learn from their experiences?
Student groups will capture a photograph of their unsung hero and correspond with them to tell their story. After the beginning of the semester, we will share more details about this activity, as well as provide students with resources and training to conduct interviews and craft the stories of NKU’s unsung heroes.
Through the previous activities, students will learn valuable skills about telling the stories of people though the power of photographs and short story. In this next phase of the project, which will take place when the pandemic allows, involves students working alongside faculty and staff to tell the stories of people across Greater Cincinnati. The project is focused on three distinct communities: Newport, Covington, and Over-the-Rhine. By learning about the places in which they live and study, our goal is to connect the students’ classroom experience to the needs of the region.
On March 5th, Humans of Greater Cincinnati is hosting an event for all NKU students. Students can come to our table and take a picture with the HOGC frame! After studnets take a picture, they will be encouraged to respond to one of these prompts:
THEME ONE: As a historian, I often think about the times within which we are living. They are momentous. They are historic. They will be written about in history books for decades to come. What do you want people to know about YOU in these times? Use any of the hashtags #livinginhistory #wearehistory #historyisnow
THEME TWO: This past year has required us all to overcome challenges. How have you addressed this past year? Use any of the hashtags #overcoming2020 #goodbye2020hello2021 #new beginnings
THEME THREE: The end of the pandemic is seemingly near. What you are looking forward to in the future? Next year? In the post-pandemic? Use the hashtags #anewbeginning #intothefuture #beyondthepandemic
Students can send in their stories to our email hogc@nku.edu
All of the amazing stories can be viewed on our Facebook or Instagram @humansofgreatercincinnati
