Have you ever noticed the blonde and brunette duo around campus asking people random questions?
Loma Interviews is an account on Instagram created by myself, Erica Hamon and it includes interviews with random people every week. My co-partner Alondra Kazzouh also helps interview people. Sometimes our friend Celia Simpson, fourth-year psychology student, helps film for us and brainstorm question ideas. Both Kazzouh and I are second-year media communication majors who love getting to know people and create entertainment for others on social media. We enjoy incorporating our major into our everyday lives. Kazzouh and I are also similar in many other ways, which helps us work well together.
Loma Interviews used to be an account on Tik Tok where we would rate the Caf food and then interview people afterward. Then, a year later, the idea evolved into an Instagram account to have both interview posts and Caf ratings. Instagram is a great way to reach Loma students through reels. Every once in a while a poll asking random questions on the Instagram story will be posted such as, “Does coffee make you poop?”
@Loma_interviews is one of the few Loma Instagram accounts that does not have an anonymous owner. For example, @loma.raccoons, @lomaparking, @plnu_siblingsordating, etc. are all anonymous loma instagram accounts. We cannot shy away and keep our identity a secret because the account is about interacting with others.
In response to asking students to be interviewed, most of the students say yes, or that they have been waiting for this moment to come. When we hear a no, we just move on and let it go. Trevor Hemingway, a first-year business administration student said, “I wasn’t expecting it at all, so it was a pleasant surprise. It affected me in a positively fantastic way and made me feel warm and fuzzy inside afterward.” We have communicated with students from freshmen all the way to seniors.
Daniel Granger, a fourth-year education student said, “It made me feel like part of a community. I think that’s a special thing about our campus is that we are small enough to laugh at each other’s interviews and know one another.”
One of the first questions we asked was, “Who’s your favorite bald person?” Three students answered outside of the chapel near the tree, “Bob Brower” “Pitbull” and “Steve Harvey.”
As of February 2023, the account is following 480 people, with 409 followers. The account interviews people on campus whether they are workers, students, or even alumni. The most views a video has gotten is 2,438 and the most liked interview, which included Nathan Shoup got 106 likes. In our interview post that had the most shares, we asked, “What cartoon character do you find attractive, who isn’t human?” The video got 20 shares. The @loma_interview account is starting to become a known thing on campus.
Some questions do not look for answers. Trevor Hemingway answered the question, “What’s your best Michael Jackson impression? It could be a dance move or a voice.” Hemingway said, “Ok” and proceeded to do the moonwalk to no music on Caf lane as students walked by.
Hamon and I have fun running the account while also staying interactive with the students. We just ask the most random questions and sometimes it catches people off guard, which makes it entertaining. To interact with our followers on Instagram in other ways, we have started a gift card hunt, where we hide gift cards on campus. Stay alert for announcements on our Instagram stories to know what gift card we will be hiding and where it is, with riddles helping you find it.
Josué Barragán, fourth-year computer science and software engineering student said, “I love the tone of @Loma_interviews as it’s often funny, chaotic and represents a great amount of the Loma community”.
If we can make someone’s day by asking what their favorite cereal milk to drink is, then that is all that matters.
We want students to feel comfortable on campus by asking them funny or even personal questions. There is always a shift in moods after students are interviewed. At first, students seem shy, unsure, or serious, but then after and even during the interview, they smile, laugh and walk away more confident. Because of this account, Kazzouh and I have met new people that we have never even seen around campus. After seeing someone and interviewing them, weirdly we always see them around campus even though we didn’t before. There will always be someone new for us to interview which is really cool.
Follow our Instagram account @loma_interviews and don’t hesitate to reach out in person or through instagram. If you want to be interviewed, find Erica or me on campus and just ask. We will always have a question prepared.
Written By: Alondra Kazzouh and Erica Hamon
Steve Anderson