Coming to American University as a freshman this year, I constantly see new people and new faces. Blank pages. As students of American University, we are expected to be proud of ourselves, our accomplishments and our awards. But, what about the other side of our “academic experience”? What makes us, us? We, as students, trudge through the Quad , blasting our Spotify playlists, and isolating our minds from the rest of the world on our chaotic walk to class. But the reality is, there is a world around us, with real people, who experience real things that we would not even know about. Parents reminisce on the people they met at college, not the classes they took. College is meant for stepping out of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to the people around you. Everyone has a story, so isn’t their story worth hearing? And is yours worth telling? Brandon Doman thought so.
In 2009, Brandon Doman created The Strangers Project, while simply sitting in a coffee shop. He decided he wanted to know the strangers around him in the coffee shop, and their stories. He put a sign up, asking people to write whatever they wanted (assuming it to be true) on a piece of paper; and thus the Strangers Project was created. What began in this everyday coffee shop, ended up inspiring thousands of people. Doman didn’t just connect the soul of one author to another reader, but hundreds of souls to each other. The project allows others to share their stories and experiences and allows readers themselves to see souls unraveling and experience words practically screaming off the paper. The stories shared have no categories, and no limits. These written stories are also copied and printed to keep the originality and pureness of seeing the scribbles and doodles drawn on the real sheet of paper. The Strangers Project has made an appearance at many colleges and schools across the country. It has also been featured in Elle magazine, People magazine, and PBS News Hour.
It is natural to feel like just a number at universities, rather than a real person. However, the Strangers Project inspires to break down through the exterior that we, as college students tend to build up as a comfort shell. But odds are, there could be one, a couple, or many other people feeling the same things or going through the same transition. The Stranger Projects website is continuing to post letters that Doman gathers from each stand he sets up in various locations all over the country. The book containing the most memorable letters is titled What’s Your Story by Brandon Doman. The book is a delightful read for the many WONKS brought in by the new school year, and the website is a great study break after midterms. Because after all, isn’t everybody’s story worth listening to?