The Slate Speaks: What makes someone a campus celebrity?

Shippensburg may be thousands of miles from the glamor of Tinsel Town, but that does not mean you have to look far for stars. Our university is home to its own breed of celebrities. You know the ones, They are the faces you see everywhere when walking around campus. The ones who seemingly pop up wherever you go. They are “campus celebrities” and students may be wondering, what makes them so iconic?

Tammy from Dunkin’ is a perfect example of a campus celebrity. She is the most wholesome campus celebrity. She is always warm and welcoming, has a smile on her face and makes you feel loved. She shows this to every one of her customers, whether it be at Dunkin’ or in the Chick-Fil-A dining area, even sometimes remembering your name and/or food order. Tammy brings that sense of home into your daily routine and into life on campus and is an integral part of life at ship. Another shout out to Linda at Reisner, she is an icon.

Building off Tammy, a campus celebrity is someone you see all the time that everyone seems to know. Think about, “does seeing this person send me into a state of pure joy and sprinting to my group chat?”

What makes someone a campus celebrity is someone you see on a regular basis who is always different or stands out — whether they realize it or not. Jeremy Satyawan Putra is the most obvious example of a campus celebrity, but what qualifies him for celebrity status is his willingness to say “hello” to everyone he meets, make them smile and make anyone feel like someone.

Another quality that makes someone a campus celebrity is how a person can impact a student’s life in a small yet effective way. The pizza guy at Reisner is a campus celebrity because when seeing him work, you can count on him to efficiently serve more pizza because he is always working so hard.

With that said, in most cases, campus celebrities are not found, they are made. The most exciting campus celebrities are the ones who are cultivated by friend groups through experiences. It could be a guy you met at a party last semester who you have not spoken to since, or someone who gave a memorable presentation and carried you through that one class you really hated. 

We love the concept of campus celebrities because to me it means that people can make a difference in students’ everyday lives in mundane ways just by being who they are.