Faces of Liberty

Facebook page shares individual stories from around campus

As students, faculty and staff move from place to place around campus, they can pass by dozens, or even hundreds, of people. But in those fleeting moments, it is hard to glean more than simply the outward expressions on the faces of those they move past.

Behind each of those faces, though, is a story. And one by one, the people responsible for the Facebook page Faces of Liberty aim to tell those stories.

Created in October of 2013 by junior Haley Greene, the Faces of Liberty page is a collection of photos of people around Liberty. Pictures are accompanied by the stories of those featured, ranging from testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives to their interests and dreams. In almost two and a half years, the page has garnered more than 3,500 likes.

According to Greene, the venture of starting the page forced her out of her comfort zone.

“I was going through a very personal trial and I wanted to give back to the community, because I felt like I (had) been really closed off,” Greene said. “It was out of my personality to just go up to people and ask them questions.”

Greene said Faces of Liberty was inspired by the similar Facebook page Humans of New York, which was created by Brandon Stanton about five years ago.

“I really liked Humans of New York, which just blew up recently, and I just really wanted to bring that idea onto Liberty’s campus and meet new people, make new friends and get their stories out there, because our testimonies are one of the most important things we can share,” Greene said.

According to Greene, Faces of Liberty is different from other offshoots of the Humans of New York page, as Liberty’s Christian environment provides for stories that often point toward God’s goodness.

After running the page for one year, Greene decided to focus on her musical career, passing Faces of Liberty to junior Matt Johnson.

“Last May, after watching an interview of Brandon Stanton, I asked (Greene) if I (could) have (Faces of Liberty), and she said if I (could) get myself a nice enough DSLR camera, to go right ahead,” Johnson said. “I saved up over the summer — I actually bought her camera from her — and pretty much this entire school year has been me doing the page.”

Johnson has been at the helm since the fall of 2014. According to Johnson, part of the appeal of running the page is having the opportunity to hear the unfiltered stories of his peers and others around campus.

“People are so much more willing to open up to a stranger,” Johnson said. “I think (sharing) teaches people to be more engaging.”

Johnson also said he believes the page fosters a sense of individuality.

“I like the thought that people enjoy seeing what makes others unique, because it helps them realize their own uniqueness,” Johnson said.

To learn more about the faces around campus, visit facebook.com/FacesofLiberty or visit the Instagram account @facesofliberty for the newest facet of
the photo-blog.

CASTEL is a sports reporter.