Nothing screams “cherubs” more than saying, “Hi, I am a Northwestern summer journalism student. Could I interview you?”
These street interviews are only possible because Evanston residents and business owners are willing to share their stories.
“[Everyone being welcoming] definitely made me less anxious, especially since I got rejected a few times,” said Leah Packer of Hinsdale, Illinois. “After talking with people who are really nice and really receptive, it made me more confident and like, ‘I can do it.’”
During the program, many assignments required cherubs to interview complete strangers. It sounds intimidating, but locals said they are accustomed to Northwestern students asking for interviews. Not only are residents open to cherubs, but they are also excited to talk with them, said Eleanor Cook of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“I wandered into an art gallery, and I ended up talking to the owners, and we had a 20-minute conversation. After about 20 minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, I should probably record this,’” Cook said. “I had a 45-minute-long interview with her after that.”
Sometimes, locals approach students to strike up a conversation. Emerson Leger of The Plains, Virginia, said that a woman complimented her tote bag as she was leaving a coffee shop.
“She said, ‘My family is right there, and they’re laughing because they think this is super embarrassing, but I wanted to tell you that I love your bag’,” Leger said. “She took time out of her day to tell me that, and it really made my day.”
Evanston’s hospitality is not just a series of one-off encounters, said Ananya Mirchandani of New York. As a frequent customer of Insomnia Cookies, Mirchandani said she grew close to one of the employees.
“I came in, and she was there, and there was just a smile on my face,” Mirchandani said. “She gave me a hug and showed me another photo of her granddaughter. It really adds to the experience to see her whenever I go there late at night.”
When Sophia Bateman of London and four of her friends were walking back from the Fourth of July parade, she said they wandered into a fire station. She said a firefighter gave them a tour for nearly two hours.
“I was super surprised the tour went on for that long because I didn’t think there was that much to show, but the firefighter showed us all the different parts of the truck, and we tried on the suits,” Bathman said. “We all have matching Evanston junior firefighter stickers on our laptops now, and I’m going to keep mine on there until it comes off.”
