A Take On ‘Humans Of NY’ At Vanderbilt

FROM THE SUBURBS TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO OWEN

During his session, Stephens spoke about how lucky and proud he is to be at Owen. But he also told the audience that sometimes he feels like he isn’t supposed to be there.

He began by telling classmates of his childhood in a small suburb of Chicago called Midlothian — “the type of town that, when you tell someone you’re from Midlothian — and they’ve heard of it — they just smile and nod politely,” he says. “It’s also the type of town that nobody ever seems to leave.”

In his group of friends, Stephens’ parents were the only ones who had been to college. He too went to college, and later worked on Barack Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign. Later, he applied to intern in Obama’s Senate office in Washington, D.C. “That’s just not something that happens to kids from Midlothian,” he says. “But somehow I got the internship.”

‘MAYBE’

Eventually, Stephens was hired as full-time staff member in Obama’s Senate office, eventually becoming internship coordinator. After Obama was elected president in 2008, Stevens was archiving files and came across his own from when he was an intern. He found his application, and on it was a bright yellow Post-it note with the word “Maybe.”

“My whole life I had been taught that as long as you keep your head down, work hard, and treat everyone with respect, you can do whatever you set your mind to,” he says. “And there I was. Reduced to a lucky break. What if I had not been chosen?”

Stephens told his Owen classmates that he was humiliated when he saw the Post-it. Now, he said, he realizes that “Maybe” is nothing to be ashamed of. He took his lucky break, and then he kept his head down, worked as hard as he could, and treated everyone with respect along the way. “There will likely be times in my life when I am a ‘Maybe’ again,” he says. “But even if I am a ‘Maybe,’ it’s a hell of a lot better than a ‘No.’”

Stephens hoped that his story would resonate with others dealing with their own hardships and insecurities. “Feeling that vulnerability and seeing how people reacted to it was surprisingly liberating,” he says. “I don’t know that my story itself has or will leave much of an impact, but I am confident that Humans of Owen will be impactful for students long after I’m graduated. And I’m honored and proud to have had a small part in getting it off the ground.”

TANGO LESSONS FOR ‘HUMANS OF OWEN’ WEEK

The HoO storytelling sessions quickly grew into packed events. From February 16-23, HoO is hosting Humans of Owen Week, a series of events co-sponsored with various student associations.

The week kicked off with a brunch attended by 150 people. HoO premiered a video of clips from HoO events and the one-on-one coffee chats, and held a fundraiser to raise money for the Taylor Force Memorial Scholarship, which honors a classmate who was killed last year.

Throughout the week, students are attending events like tango lessons by the Global Business Association and Latin Business Association, line dancing hosted by the Texas Club, and a “Savor Diversity” Potluck, where students, faculty, and staff are invited to bring a dish that reflects their culture or family heritage. “We’re trying to represent all the different backgrounds and cultures here at Owen,” Kelly says. “Lots of these clubs do events during the year, and this could promote membership. We’re trying to get people involved, say, even if they aren’t from Texas, but they still love line dancing.”

BRINGING TOGETHER PEOPLE ‘WHO DON’T TYPICALLY INTERACT’

James Murray says he hopes Humans of Owen will help to break down barriers between all the different backgrounds and perspectives at Owen — this year and well into the future.

“I think we spend a lot of time doing work in the classroom, but there’s also a social aspect of business school, and just like in any other environment, people tend to have groups of friends,” he says. “The idea is that this can bring people together who don’t typically interact — it allows them to understand their stories and foster relationships that might not have happened otherwise.”

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