“Cal Poly SLO Confessions” is one of Cal Poly’s newest controversial crazes. The Facebook page connects to a site in which students may anonymously post, well, anything. Confessions range from deep and depressing, to light-hearted and downright hilarious. The page currently has 8,377 likes, but one person in particular has risen to great popularity: Nelson Lin. Her Campus conducted an interview with Lin to hear his take on the Confessions page.
HC: So Nelson, you’ve become quite well-known for your witty responses to the confessions on the Cal Poly SLO Confessions Page. Have you ever had people come up to you in person and talk about them?
NL: Ha, witty. Usually what happens is that I introduce myself to people and then they go, “Oh, you’re that kid.” Then the main subject of the conversation is whether or not I’ve ever posted any confessions about myself, and about how often people approach me. I guess I don’t really look like my profile pictures. I also had some worried lab partners this quarter before I promised them I was not actually on Facebook all the time.
HC: Have you personally ever sent in a confession that got published?
NL: It was actually a really long personal confession that caused a bit of controversy. Someone else who comments often actually nailed the description of me quite well, while everyone else was focusing on my diction and vivid metaphors. The only other time I posted was during finals exactly a year ago, before I started commenting on the statuses instead.
HC: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
NL: Oh god, job interviews all over again. Well, I’m pretty lazy; the biggest decision I make most weekends is whether or not to put on pants. I’m also a pretty structured unorthodox; I like to have a box or rubric to start with before I find myself completely lost outside of it. I guess I would also say I’m a people-person if I didn’t hate them all so much. What interests me, though, is that I am more or less a minor character in their whole life story and there is so much more to each person than the instance that I meet them.
HC: What (or like whom) do you aspire to be?
NL: Dave Chappelle is my hero. I respected him even before I found out how hard it was to do stand-up comedy. My goal in life before I die is to see him live. I’ve also enjoyed the likes of Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), Tesla, and honestly anyone else that give me a weird-rection from their creativity.
HC: Do you have any hidden talents? Anything people would be surprised to know about you?
NL: I do stand-up for fun. I especially like to do this specific type of comedy where I tell jokes and nobody laughs. I try to hit every open mic that comes up in the area, especially Another Type of Groove, with my 3 to 5 minutes of material I try to make every month. I’m also 6’1 and went to the AP tests in a banana suit.
HC: Anything else?
NL: I’m a Mechanical Engineer, sophomore, from San Diego. I enjoy long walks to the fridge and striking fear in the hearts of the free sample ladies at Costco.
(Nelson Lin, right, pictured with poetry slammer Rudy Francisco)