COLUMN—Lonely on New Years

Picture provided by Unsplash

After leaving my hometown I was afraid I’d be lonely. You’re told that you’ll get out into the world and make all sorts of friends. But there’s always that nagging feeling that’ll you won’t live up to those expectations.

Those fears of mine were subdued quickly after arriving at Auburn University. It took a semester, but I eventually found those people I’ll consider friends for life. 

However two years later in my junior year, I feel lonelier than I have ever before in my life. I don’t take my friends for granted and I love them dearly. I realize now that there’s a place in my life that’s never been empty before. Its absence never felt until now. 

To be quite frank I never expected to feel this kind of loneliness. In my high school I was one of 15 Asian people at a 900 person school. 

Then I got to Auburn. I’m surrounded by friends and members of the “Auburn Family.” I adore my friends, and I’d like to think they like me. 

But for all they give me, one thing that they can’t give me is a reflection. When I look at them I see the majority. Privilege. Oppression. Empathy. And “It must be hard.” 

It’s no ones fault. Everyone tries to be understanding, listening to my words when I speak of my experience that deviates from theirs. 

It’s not enough to keep me from being lonely. 

——————

On New Years, Lunar New Years, I am alone in my observance. Sure, people celebrate it. But it’s in that cheesy, surface level, capitalistic way. 

For me personally, Lunar New Years is a time of renewal. Letting go of the bad. Letting in the good. Parents, aunties and uncles would bring li xi, those red envelopes, by the handful for the “kids” of the family. Cousins would run around, energized by egg rolls and mooncakes while Paris by Night blares through the house. Fruits of all types are offered to party-goers and ancestors. Be sure to eat an orange though, for good fortune. 

The rest of my observance involves cleaning. Getting every last bit of the bad out, so all the good has room to come in. All of it has to be done before midnight or you’ll be stuck with your old luck.

Usually I’d help my parents get our house spotless. But now I have my own apartment to take care of. My own apartment to clean. My own luck to take care of. 

It gets done in time. But it’s a lot lonelier. 

It’s hard to communicate how important this cleaning is to me. Most people brush it off, telling me if it’s not all done now—I can do it later or equate it t a typical “spring cleaning.” 

This year friends sat by as I cleaned out all the bad luck during our lunch break from classes. And then that night I ate an orange over the sink for good fortune. 

CULTURE—Asian students find difficulty in navigating predominantly white institutions

Photo illustration by Juliane Vo

At PWIs, Asian and Asian-American students find difficulties finding belonging in spaces where they are not heard or understood.

AUBURN, Ala.—Khavy Pham, a freshman at Auburn University, sits in a lecture hall of 200 fellow students. As the professor drones on, she looks around at her classmates.  Immediately a rush of awareness runs through her. 

"I'm literally the only like, person of color, not even just Asian but the only person of color." Pham said. After class she finds it difficult to connect with peers. Rarely does she ask fellow classmates to study or hang out. 

Pham is one of approximately 760 Asian and Asian-American students at Auburn University. That's 2.5% of the over 30,000 enrolled students at Auburn University, according to Data Usa. At over 75%, white students make up the majority of the student population. 

According to IGI Global, Predominately White Institutions are institutions where "Caucasian students make up over 50% of the student population. "PWIs are also described as institutions whose "histories, policies, practices, and ideologies center whiteness or the white majority" and "strong anti-racist program can be met with resistance."

The differences of the Asian experience can lead to many problems. According to researchers Christine M. Cress and Elaine K. Ikeda, stressors like minority status, racism, cultural conflicts, immigrant status, and refugee experiences can contribute to depression in Asian students on college campuses.  

Loneliness

According to BMC Psychiatry, loneliness and depression feed into each other. The awareness of loneliness can cause an individual's mood to worsen leading to a more depressive state. 

For Ethan Nguyen, a junior studying graphic design at Auburn University, loneliness resonates when he is on campus. "There is that kind of isolation in your head. You're like, I'm the only person representing my story. Because when you look around, it's like, you know, this is a majority white campus. And you're kind of comparing yourself to others. And you maybe feel like you're out of place because your experience is not the same as theirs."

Voices echoed in Nguyen's head reminding him “You're alone. You're the only one." The weight and need to "represent his story" as an Asian-American feels heavier and more demanding.

Difficulties in talking about or relating the experience of Asian inequalities can lead to more isolation. Pham said, "[Being the only Asian person] was hard because other people couldn't really understand my struggles unless they were like Asian themselves."

Awareness 

Awareness of minority status weighs on the minds of many Asian students at Auburn University. My Ly, a junior journalism student at Auburn University, said, "Being a minority in general just like shapes you so much as a person. It's like everything you do is fostered by your minority experiences and that lens. 

An awareness of minority status can be even more difficult when experienced for the first time. Dr. Arianne Gaetano, professor of Asian studies at Auburn University, points out that international students from Asian countries like China, Japan or Vietnam become "racialized," or aware of their own race, for the first time when they come to America for college. " That can be very jarring to have that mirror held up to you. And that's often not a friendly mirror,” she said. 

For others Asian identity can be hard to identify. Korey Butler, a junior at Auburn, is a Chinese adoptee. "Due to the way I was raised I come off as very American," said Lee. "I would just say I'm probably a southern raised American that just happens to look like an Asian person." 

Studies show almost two-thirds of transracial adoptees do not identify with their own race and many identify with being white. Researcher Soleil S. Groh points out this status as "honorary white" can help transracial adoptees navigate and feel a sense of belonging with their complex racial identity. In addition, researcher Frances Elizabeth McDermott found that among Asian-American transracial adoptees can find it difficult to balance their Asian and white identities and utilizing on campus resources for minority students.
 

Regardless of background, the recognition of being different from their peers can be difficult for many Asian students.
 

Being Abroad 

In addition to physical appearance, cultural differences can isolate Asian students from their peers. 

Dr. Ellie Lee, director of the Auburn University Kore Center-King Sejong Institute, said the main difference between international Korean students and American students is the value of collectivism versus individualism. Lee said international Korean students tend to be more collectivist or prone to working together, and American students tend to be more individualistic and want to do their own thing. 

This can create tension when it comes to perceptions. "Korean students like who just came here from Korea might view Americans as little bit selfish, just because, you know, they are used to like, doing things together and then less voicing their own opinions, whereas like here people are voicing their opinion."

Language can also create barriers between domestic and international students. JiaJia Liu, an international student from China, said fluency can be big factor in forming relationships for international students. "They can succeed in basic communication to do the work or assignment, but to make friends no." 

Classroom structure also differs between the United States and other countries. Gaetano said Chinese pedagogy, or teaching practices, focuses more on direct lectures and "rote memorization." In American classrooms it's more about discussions and bringing unique perspectives to the material. "This whole originality and creativity. That's a different type of pedagogy." 

The goals of international students can also affect their experience studying in America. “Most of them come here for education or experience," Liu said.  Some will "immerse themselves in American culture," but many will stick to their own culture and their own people. 

The Rise of Anti-Asian Sentiments 

Over the past few years Anti-Asian sentiments, have become more prevalent. My Ly, a junior journalism student at Auburn University, found that this new level of discrimination can be difficult to navigate. " I think with Asian American hate crimes rising, it was such a big deal because Asian Americans haven't faced that level of discrimination and fear"

Ly also said it can be difficult to speak about the inequalities Asian-Americans face, when compared to other minority groups.  "I can never ever equate my oppression and my struggles with a Black woman or a Black student. I think that Asian-Americans are so hesitant to admit that because it's in a sense very invalidating to want to say, I am not treated as bad as other minorities.”

Lee said it can be difficult for Asian individuals to ask for help or resources because it can feel like all minority groups are "competing" to be recognized. "A lot of other minority groups view Asians as the most fortunate group of them, which might not be always the case."

For Pham, she finds herself "nervous to go outside" due to the rise in Anti-Asian crimes. "What if somebody just decides to jump me or something? What am I supposed to do?" 

Nguyen finds it "awkward" and difficult to talk about his oppression with his white peers. "They've had like that privileged life that maybe I didn't experience. So yeah, a little bit of awkwardness there and a little bit of worry how they're going to react to hearing what I have to say about them."
 

The Auburn Experience

Students choose Auburn University for many reasons. Nguyen chose Auburn because his sisters also attended the university and the program he wanted to major in was offered. Nguyen said his Asian identity brought "anxiety" to mind when getting ready to come to Auburn. "I knew I was going to look different from everyone in the crowd."

Auburn University has created a campaign around the experience students have—the Auburn Experience. However, when students feel a sense of other-ness, it can be hard to relate to this supposed universal experience. 

"I would say my Auburn experience is definitely a lot different from what they expect the Auburn experience to be because I feel like they kind of have this cult idea of perfection," said Nguyen. "There's definitely kind of like this idealistic image and then like the real experience."

Reaching Out

Auburn University offers many programs to promote inclusion and diversity like the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the Office of International Programs, Auburn Abroad and countless student organizations. 

Many Asian students, however, still find it difficult to navigate PWIs due to countless factors. Whether it's feeling disconnected from peers, not seeing their heritage well-represented or fighting barriers of culture and language differences, Auburn University's efforts can only do so much. 

Lee encourages Asian students who feel isolated because of their heritage to join the club on campus for their cultural group. "I think that's how you get yourself more actively involved through the medium of your own culture." 

For many Asian students the search for a community of those who are of the same heritage is a hunt. Rarely do white students have to look for people of the same experience or heritage when they are the majority population on campus. 

After a long day of classes, Pham looks forward to attending the weekly Vietnamese Student Association Meeting. While she usually arrives late, she is greeted by the warm and "lively" VSA members. "If I'm having a bad day, like that would be something that would like brighten up my day," said Pham. 

For Pham who grew up in a small, predominately white area VSA provides her a community she's never had before. "The first time I saw them, I was like, I've never seen so many Asian people in my life," Pham said.

While not a perfect solution, perhaps there is nothing better than finding those who have lived the same experiences, know the same language and practice the same traditions as you. If only it were easier for Asian students at PWIs to find their beloved community. 

DESIGN—Taiwanese illustrator fulfills his freelance dreams

Picture provided by Nien-Ken Alec Lu

Nien-Ken Alec Lu took a long journey to achieve his dream of becoming a freelance illustrator. 

SAN FRANCISCO– As the sun rises over San Francisco, Nien-Ken Alec Lu rises with it. While his husband Brandon Jernigan heads out to his office job, Lu grabs a quick shower, a bite of breakfast to get his body running and settles into the home office of their apartment. 

The once spare bedroom has been transformed into Lu's work-from-home sanctuary. The room is adorned with magazines, graphic novels, figurines, action figures and other knickknacks that generate inspiration  for him. "This space is where I'm made to work," sad Lu. 

Lu checks his email for messages from his agency, Anna Goodson. He fields and sorts through  updates on his current projects and proposals for new work. For the rest of the day he'll carefully craft illustrations for clients and publications until Jernigan arrives home from work. 

Recently Lu worked on an illustration for Chronicle of Higher Education, a news publication about higher education. The illustration features teachers jumping across a sea of books as they grab on to new ways of teaching manifested as human-sized lightbulbs. This abstract and larger than life imagery portrays the article that talk about how educators are adapting to new methods of teaching as teaching environments change. 

Before he was making illustrations from the comfort of his own home for a living, Lu was just a kid who loved drawing. "I always as a kid liked to draw," said Lu. " I would draw anything. I love art classes." 

In 2011, Lu was a high school exchange student from Taiwan. It was at Riverton High School in Wyoming where Lu met his first art mentor, Ms. Vinich. Marianne Vinich was his stained glass art teacher. Vinich was the one who saw the potential Lu had as an artist. 

"She opened up my world and mindset of possibility to become a professional artist," said Lu. 

Vinich's passion infected Lu with the belief that he could become a professional artist. He decided to bring up the idea with his family. Cost of college was a big factor for the Lu family, but they believed their son should pursue the career of his dreams. 

"They’ve always believed a career should be the thing that are interest us not just making money, and they worked so hard to make sure we have that," Lu said. "I’m truly grateful for them, and it is one of the reasons I work so hard to have a passion to call my career."

Lu took his conviction and work ethic to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Nothing stuck out particularly about this school to Lu other than it's low cost. He wanted to get into his illustration education right away. Lu chose illustration over a fine arts degree because it aligned with his career goals more. "I wanted more opportunity to collaborate with clients," Lu said. "I can draw. I can hone in my style. But I can still know a lot of people working with the bigger picture." 

Through out his time at college, Lu transitioned from watercolor illustrations to digitally created illustrations. He started this journey with a class in Adobe Photoshop where he learned the basic techniques of creating digital illustrations. "The industry needs speedy turn around," Lu said. With watercolors, any changes have to be meticulously scraped away and carefully redone to hide the previous iteration. In digital apps like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate, an iPad drawing app, changes can be done in just a few strokes of the fingers.

After completing his education in 2015, Lu needed to be strategic and pragmatic. His dream is to be a freelance illustrator, but at this point there's "no way" he or any fresh graduate can jump into freelance right away. "We need to be realistic," Lu said. "We need to be artistic to pursue our dreams, but we still need to be paid by jobs."

Lu started his post-graduate life as a design assistant for Jarret Yoshida, Inc., a tech company in New York. "I do what they ask me to do," Lu said. While Lu has some wiggle room with his creations, ultimately this line of work was not satisfying or "free" enough for him. Lu would go on working full time for four years and saved every penny along the way to support his end goal, becoming a freelance illustrator. 

In May 2017, Lu left the corporate design world and joined Anna Goodson, an illustration agency based in Toronto. Lu did through research into potential agencies before concluding Anna Goodson was the perfect fit for him. Anna Goodson provided Lu with care and attention he needed as an artist, focused on generating sustainable work for all their artists and had values that aligned with his. "They opened my whole, stable freelance world," Lu said. 

As a freelance illustrator Lu is connected with clients through his agency. He's allowed to choose which jobs he'll take on and which ones he'll send back to his agency. However, Lu never shies away from any job. While not every job is not immediately eye-catching or in Lu's area of interest he takes on each one with the same amount of enthusiasm. He'll take on any client as long as the proposed work isn't offensive to him or his values. He sees every job as an opportunity. "I try to give myself the space to learn from the client," Lu said. 

Lu's favorite job thus far is his work for 826 Valencia, a non-profit based in San Francisco dedicated to developing the writing skills of under-resourced children. His work for them entailed creating illustrations that paired with the work being produced by the young writers of this program or extra reading material for the students to take home. One cover dealt with the growing gentrification of San Francisco. "I live in San Francisco, and I see this problem and I'm impacted by it," Lu said. 

While this was unpaid work it didn’t matter to Lu. "If I use my voice, use my art to voice for them, to help them just a little bit. I'm going to do it," Lu said. 

Today, Lu creates his own schedule but is careful to avoid overworking and burning out. He makes sure to check in with his mental and physical health because those two factors can contribute to his feelings of burnout. If "all is well" Lu will go take a walk, get a  cup of coffee or sit in the park. "I realized that a quick environmental change helps the most to recharge with creativity," Lu said.

 Lu is also mindful of giving time to himself and his social life. He tries to finish work at around 5 p.m. when Jernigan arrives home from work, so they can spend time together. "My favorite activities are going outdoor hiking, playing board games and enjoying some wonderful food with friends and family," Lu said. "These things relax me and get my mind out of thinking about work." 

One of Lu's tips for aspiring designers is to treat your work as a business. "We are no different than a person who starts a tech company," Lu said. " They provide an app. It's a product.  We provide a service of creating illustrations for people. We're literally creating our own business."

Lu isn't the only one who had this approach to freelance. Kelly Bryant, a professor of graphic design at Auburn University, worked in full-time jobs, freelance and sometimes both simultaneously.  She reiterates that freelance is very business-like. 

"You really have to be savvy about how you're keeping up with clients," Bryant said. She emphasizes the rapport between designer and client is a key part to the success freelance illustrator. There's many phases of concepting, sketches and revisions that are "a lot more labor intensive," Bryant said. "When you have that level of trust it helps streamline your process and make you a little more efficient." 

With everyone in the illustration industry competing for the same clients, it can become easy to question self worth and talent when being compared to the accomplishments of others. Like many artists, Lu also struggled with this self doubt. To keep going as an illustrator sometimes reminders of goals can clear the path. 

"Always come back and sit down and think 'I'm creating my own business." Lu said. "The business is up and down. If I get more clients? Great. If I don't get more clients, I need to come back to that artist mindset. I will create what I like to remind people I'm still there."  

Lu recognizes the journey to becoming a freelance illustrator is difficult and ever ongoing, but that never discouraged him. He hopes that it won't discourage other dreaming illustrators either. "It's  a long game," Lu said, "I'm still in this journey."

TRAVEL—The Equal Justice Initiative teaches the history of African-Americans from enslavement to mass incarceration

Picture provided by the Equal Justice Initiative

The Equal Justice Initiative champions the recognition of the oppressive and difficult history African-Americans have experienced in the United States with their two sites, The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice located in Montgomery, Alabama.

MONTGOMERY, Ala.— Entering the Legacy Museum, patrons are surrounded by projections of waves on the walls. The waves crash high above the sight line and the sounds of the swirling ocean envelop the room. 

Words fade in over the ocean projection describing the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. As the words continually appear and wash away, the audience is beckoned to continue through the museum. 

The next area is a long, hallway. Lining both sides of the straight walkway is numerous bust statues of  African men, women and children looking up toward the viewer frozen in a somber, desperate moment. 

As viewers traverse between the rows of statues, the uneven stone and ocean sensations from before remind the audience of the final resting place of Africans stolen from their homes for slavery.

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration tells the story of injustices done to Africans and African-Americans in United States. In addition to the museum is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, an outdoor site dedicated to recognizing and remembering victims of racial lynching.

Both sites are the work of the Equal Justice Initiative. EJI was founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson,  a public interest lawyer and author of "Just Mercy." 

The goal of all EJI does is to "tell the truth about our history," said Tera DuVernay, deputy director of museum and memorial operations at EJI. "It's important to shine a light to be able to move past it."

DuVernay said visitors will leave "more knowledgeable" and inspired that "they can become the instrument of change."  

The museum and memorial are located in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Chief Officer of Destination and Community Ron Simmons said in Montgomery you can see the history from enslavement to the Civil War to the Civil Rights from "one spot" in downtown. "You get all of that history standing in one spot." 

 There's no street corner or alleyway in Montgomery that didn’t witness the terrors of racial oppression or the triumphs of the Civil Rights movement. The Legacy Museum sits on a former slave auction block, a true recognition of the transformation that happened in Montgomery. 

The Legacy Museum follows the various systems of oppression done onto African-Americans. The museum uses art instillations, historical artifacts, interactive media and accounts of African-Americans who suffered through slavery and are currently subject to mass incarceration. 

One exhibit has viewers standing before tall, skinny caged cells where holograms of actors account the experiences of African men, women and children waiting to stand before the auction block. A mother asks the viewers where her children are. A man recounts being separated from his family to be sold. A woman sings a prayer to the heavens before she stands on the auction block. Two children ask if the viewers have seen their mother. 

Throughout the museum several senses are activated in each exhibit to create an intimate experience to navigate. For Betsy Hosp, a Montgomery resident and two-time visitor to the museum, the "sensory experience" was key to the impact it had on her. "It engages all the senses, so I think that for any person whatever kind of learner you are, I think that it really taps into that. It's very somber-ing. It's very awakening. It's very enlightening."  

Many of the exhibits resonate powerfully with viewers. Simmons continues to be impacted by a display of banners that advertise African-American men, women and children for sale on the same pages as livestock. These advertisements would expound the virtues of strength and never needing to be hit as reasons for high prices.

 "I'm a big guy, and I've got two sons and they're big guys, and they play college ball. I know what we've would been sold for; we've would've been field hands." said Simmons. "Every time I pass by that, it bothers me." 

In addition to The Legacy Museum patrons can visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice with their ticket. Patrons can either take a 20 minute stroll amongst the rest of the history of Montgomery or taking a shuttle provided to patrons to the memorial. 

The memorial is the six-acre home to a site that honors the victims of slavery, lynching and racial terror. The memorial is a "real place of "peace and silence” for DuVernay. "I feel my ancestors feeling proud that they were finally acknowledged. That someone finally told their story. That they were honored in that space."

The site hosts statues created to portray different eras of struggle and inequality of African-Americans. At the center of the site is a spiraling two-story, maze made of 800 steel, 6 foot monuments. The steel columns both sit on the ground before and suspend above viewers surrounding them with the carved names of racial terror lynching victims from 12 states. 

At the end of the massive statue instillation is a waterfall. Inscribed across the wall of the waterfall is a message recognizing the countless unknown victims of racial terror. In front of the waterfall is a collection of soil piled into a waist-high, rectangular glass case. The mixture of red, brown and black soil is the earth where recorded racial terror lynchings took place. 

The collection of the soil is a part of EJI's Community Remembrance Project. Soil is gathered from known lynching sites by community members to be displayed in the museum and memorial. DuVernay said the goal of the project is to "honor that life, honor that situation. It's healing for the community." 

The Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice put Montgomery on the map “overnight,” according to Simmons. The museum and memorial has bolstered other Black history sites, small businesses and restaurants. It has brought in "young talent to work, live and play,” Simmons said. "Montgomery has become a destination, a true international destination for visitors."   

The boom of economic development is a positive effect on Montgomery, but  that is not the best thing about what EJI does for Montgomery.  "We don't need to focus on that , and then miss the purpose EJI is striving for and that is social justice. And that's what I think we need to keep our eyes on." Simmons said. 

Tickets can be purchased for the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice can be purchased on EJI's website. A limited number of tickets are also available the day of at the museum. The museum and memorial are open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last entry to the museum is at 4 p.m., and the last entry to the memorial is at 4:30 p.m. 

LIFE—Student spreads the Auburn experience through Instagram account

Illustration by Juliane Vo

The student–ran Instagram account, @auburn affirmation shares positive posts about the Auburn experience that many students relate to. 

Editor's note: The owner of the Instagram account @auburn.affirmations wishes to remain anonymous to protect the integrity and focus of the page. With respects to that wish, the owner will be referred to as "Riley"  and use the gender neutral they, them and their pronouns when necessary.  

AUBURN, Ala.– The dorms of Auburn University are home to many busy students. They're toiling away at homework, projects and papers. Many work in the isolation of their dorms because of the pandemic. 

Riley, one of these students, pulls their laptop close. Riley is ready to hunker down and get work done singlehandedly. Riley opens up Photoshop and a folder of Auburn themed images. 

Riley begins crafting a batch of images with overlaid text they hope people will find funny or relatable. The subjects of the images feature all parts of campus life, from the wins of the men's basketball team to the dreaded parking tickets many students receive. 

After Riley finishes making the images in Photoshop, they send the pictures to their phone. Riley adds a few more stickers and details in the app, Picsart. Now they’re ready to post to their Instagram  account. 

Riley's Instagram account, @auburn affirmation, attracts over 7,000 followers, many of whom are Auburn students. The posts feature memes, humorous images or videos that are typically shared between users. The memes center around making parts of the Auburn experience wholly positive and affirming. 

Recently Riley posted about the success of the Auburn Men's Basketball Team and their head coach, Bruce Pearl. The posts are comedic worships of both team members and the coach. One recent post simply captions a headshot of Pearl with his name in bold letters and sparkles highlighting his face

A post after the Auburn vs. Alabama game spoofed a scene from the hit show "Euphoria", showing off the fear other teams have when facing Auburn. Riley enjoys pulling in pop culture references into their posts when possible.  "It's appealing to anybody," Riley said, "if a guy likes Euphoria and sports or just Euphoria, that's a very niche thing for them." To Riley things that may be so niche can end up being so relatable to many students. 

While Riley is not an avid–sports person, they believe their account should be an "everything account" in the same way Auburn University has been called an everything school by students. "The sports part isn't that cool to me but everyone getting so excited for it which makes me happy," Riley said. "I think I'm getting more and more used to it."

Affirmation accounts like Riley's began with the Instagram account, @affirmations. In October 2020, Mats Andersen, a Norwegian artist, began posting memes made of bold, positive messages, collections of stock images and hazy gradients or blurs. Riley said, "I think it's hilarious. I love it. I think it's silly."  Like the affirmation accounts before them, @auburn.affirmations promotes mental wellness, positivity and relatability set on a funny background. 

Today, many of the @auburn.affimations posts get over 2,000 likes. However, Riley originally only shared their memes with a few friends. Riley's friends would soon be the ones to encourage them to start an affirmations account for Auburn University. 

One of Riley's close friend runs an affirmation account for their school, Mercer. Riley’s brother also showed them the affirmation account for his school, UGA. "I saw they were getting a lot of followers and it was a cool thing," Riley said. 

In July 2021, Riley would begin @auburn.affirmations. They hoped that their account would be "a good representation of Auburn". The sharing of the Auburn experience is central to @auburn.affirmations.

Riley said, "My purpose is I want people who want to get into Auburn or are interested in Auburn to look at the page and be like 'Oh this is what student life might be like and this is what's involved with being at Auburn.'" 

Riley was one of the many students who began their time at Auburn while the pandemic was raging. The pandemic gave them a lot of content to turn into affirmations. Their goal is to help Auburn students look at the things that they all have experienced during the pandemic as something that can unite the student body in positivity. 

"I just want to be a page people can relate to and make them happier because it's hard enough to go through college, but with a pandemic it adds a whole new level," Riley said. ”It’s inspired me to make a page where I take input and my own posts to connect with students." 

Riley made a post affirming people they will not get acne because of their masks and will receive negative COVID-19 test results. These two images garnered over 1,800 likes. It seems many students are wishing these statements to come true. 

Maggie Miller, a junior in graphic design and friend of Riley, said @auburn.affirmation helped many students who first entered Auburn University during the pandemic. ”I think it connected a lot of freshman together with @auburn.affirmations," Miller said. ”A lot of us didn't even leave our rooms because it was all online. Having that sense of connectivity was nice and much needed."

One of the many key aspects of the @auburn.affirmation page is the anonymity of the owner. "I just didn't think it was important for it to be known who runs the page," Riley said, "It's not about who runs it; it's about what's on the page." 

Many Auburn students respect Riley's choice to remain anonymous. Autumn Mille, a sophomore studying chemical engineering and Spanish, "wholeheartedly respects their privacy." Mille said, "The person wants to remain anonymous, and that's their choice, and I respect that." 

Miller compares Riley's anonymity to a secret identity "like Spider–Man." Miller said, "It adds more to the mystery of it." 

Between school and extracurricular activities, Riley sometimes struggles to keep up with making memes and posting to their page. Riley has over time created a system to help them balance the many obligations of a college student "I make a lot of affirmations at once because I have little spurts of creativeness, and it'll last like two hours," Riley said. Each image takes them about 20 minutes to complete. 

 They make sure to keep a "bank of affirmations" that can be posted anytime for situations where they're too busy to make something specific for that week. Riley also saves up a reservoir of situation specific affirmations and lays in wait for the perfect opportunity to use them. Mille said, "You can tell they put a lot of effort in it, and they work really fast."

 The fruits of Riley's labor generates positivity in students downtrodden by the pandemic.  Mille said, "@auburn.affirmations provides the link we need to talk to people or feel more connected to them." 

To Mille a key part of the Auburn experience is the connections students make. "I wholeheartedly believe if you don't really connect with anyone, you don’t really live the true Auburn experience," said Mille. 

"Everyone is going through something," Riley said, "and I hope my page can help them find that one weird meme of affirmation that makes them laugh or relate to."

Correction (5/24/2022): In the original version of the story it was stated that Riley’s brother ran the affirmation Instagram account for UGA. This is incorrect. Riley’s brother attends UGA and showed Riley the UGA affirmations account. The person who runs said account is a separate individual. The story has been since updated to reflect that correction. The author is deeply sorry for any confusion the error may have caused.