Eric Rankin

Eric Rankin was looking for a way to celebrate the diverse student population while practising his photography skills. Recalling the “Humans of” trend on Facebook, he decided to create a page of his own and Humans of TRU was born on Oct. 10.

Generally modelled after other Humans pages—Humans of New York being the biggest of all with more than 10.3 million likes—Rankin randomly asks students questions and takes their photo. That’s it. The response has been enthusiastic, with no one refusing an interview and the page likes greater than 800. Update: As of Nov. 4, the page had 1,017 likes.

“Having a page like this is a way for people to learn other people’s stories and for us as students to learn about each other,” said Rankin, who is in his second year of Psychology and is a graduate of Kamloops Secondary. “I’m happy to be part of something like this because it shows what a positive place TRU is and that we have such a diverse campus here. I didn’t really know where this was going to go, and so far it’s been amazing.”

As a bonus, Rankin has improved a few skills along the way. He is more confident approaching strangers, striking up conversations and find common ground to keep the talk going.

“I usually have a specific question in mind, but I’ll stay and chat for as long as it’s comfortable. I leave when the conversation naturally ends.”

With an instant hit on his hands, what plans does he have for Humans of TRU?

“I have no expectations and just want to see where it goes. I’m a hobby photographer and this is a good way to expand my portfolio and get better at it. I’ll keep doing Humans of TRU and keep doing it on the fly. Sometimes I talk to one person a day and some days more than one. I’m just happy to be part of this.”

Eric Rankin looks for new subjects to profile on the Humans of TRU Facebook page.