So, it was 39 degrees outside on a late Wednesday afternoon at the College of New Jersey and there was a massive line outside of Kendall Hall that started forming at 11am the same day. Passersby were amazed and maybe a little annoyed at the growing line of students, spending their free time, or maybe even skipping class, to see the spring semester’s first guest lecturer brought to the campus by TCNJ’S College Union Board (CUB). If you haven’t guessed who this guest lecturer was by the title of the article, it was David Dobrik, an internet sensation and Youtube vlogger that came from Slovakia at the age of 6, and has made a career out of filming his friends, the crazy things they do, and giving back to those in need and the communities around him.
As a commuter, I’m never really on campus, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I, like 800 other students on campus, had the chance to be in the same room as the David Dobrik. So, like any fan, I waited in line for 4 hours, and I bonded with other students around me about the insanely cold weather, about our love for Dobrik, about our expectations for the absolute chaos we wanted him to cause, and about our hopes that we could possibly be the lucky students that he would give thousands of dollars to, like he does for others in his vlogs. It didn’t happen, but hey, we’re all broke college students that have hopes and dreams. We were allowed to wish for that!
Dobrik’s Q&A lecture was nothing short of a good time. It was full of laughs from the audience, from David, and the atmosphere in the room was filled with excitement. Dobrik is as down to earth as everyone who meets him says he is, and he, like any other celebrity, is just like us. He’s a person with thoughts, feelings, emotions, and dreams. I loved listening to him talk about his experiences, the crazy stories he had, and the fact that he was so open with us. The craziest story was that of the time he tried buying a house for his three best friends. Long story short, David was arrested in a house that was almost in his name because of a broken back door and was let off because the owner’s daughter watches his Youtube videos and pleaded with the police to not take him to jail. Talk about being lucky, huh?
Before his time at TCNJ ended, he brought out Natalie and Jason, two people who are always in his vlogs, to help him answer some questions that we were allowed to ask on Twitter using the hashtag #DobrikTCNJ. This part, like his lecture, was just as funny, and included a demonstration of how bad of a hugger Natalie is. I think for us as viewers, it was like watching one of his vlogs happen right in front of us. Their dynamic, friendship, and how they interacted with each other was exactly how they were in his vlogs, which was honestly refreshing. How often do we hear about celebrities or Youtubers being exactly who they are online?
CUB booking David Dobrik as our first spring lecture was truly iconic, and I can’t believe it happened. It was an amazing time, and I can’t wait to see what else CUB has in store for us. As for Dobrik, attending this lecture made me like him as a person and as a creator even more than before.
If you have never heard of David Dobrik, check out his Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @DavidDobrik!