Do you ever feel invisible? Unappreciated? Like you don’t belong? If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re in college, so I’ll also assume the answer is a quiet “yes” mumbled under your breath. But here’s the good news: there’s probably someone out there appreciating you — someone you’ll likely never meet.

Everyone has their campus celebrity. Not like a player on the basketball team, just a regular, average student. You don’t know their name. To you, they are barely even real, just a concept: Scooter Girl, Jersey Man, Feet Pics Kid, Campion Dessert Demon. Maybe they insist on wearing shorts even on the coldest days. Maybe they always have two cups of milk in the Kettle. Or maybe you just like the way they dress. In college, we often stress over tests, relationship drama and the impending doom of being a real adult. Yet, for a moment, none of that matters. There they are: the campus celebrities. They’re not special for any real reason, but that’s what makes them so special.

Despite the reputation St. Joe’s has acquired over the years, there is (surprisingly) not that much excitement at our small, private, Catholic institution. Sometimes a car winds up on Lannon Hall’s front step, but I don’t think that will be impacting many college decisions. But, there’s an unspoken excitement that comes from a brief connection with this random, celebrity stranger. I wonder who they truly are. I ponder the mysteries of their existence. I’m sure if I just talked to them, they’d tell me, but where’s the fun in that? I give them a life they haven’t lived and stories they can’t tell.

Back in reality, I know they’re just a person in the same boat as me: eating lunch, going to class, trying to get through the day. Yet, for whatever reason, they make the monotony of life just a little less crushing. So, next time you feel down, invisible, unappreciated or whatever negative word you want to use when it’s just one of those days, remember: maybe you are someone’s campus celebrity.