Through one-on-one conversations at the selfie event, President Gloria J. Gibson introduced herself on a more personal level with students and other NEIU community members.

Gibson took selfies with students, staff and faculty members in the University Commons on Sept. 14. and gave students an opportunity to take a selfie and a regular photograph with her.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Selfies with the President. Photos by Angelica Sanchez.

Sounds of timeless classics such as “Respect” by the late Aretha Franklin echoed through the corridors of Building B.

Marina Whitehead, the president of the Black Caucus, attended the event and said, “The other day, we did Zumba with the president and I think that was good to show how engaging she is with the students.”

“With recent [NEIU] presidents, we didn’t really know them that well. Students wouldn’t know who the presidents were, but with Dr. Gibson, everybody knows she’s the president because she shows her face,” Whitehead said.

Unlike Gibson’s presidential inauguration the day before, this event wasn’t as packed with people. NEIU community members lined up to snap a selfie with Gibson. After taking their selfies and photos with Gibson, NEIU community members were given bookmarks.

Director of Strategic Communications Mike Hines said via email that Gibson “is aware of the power of social media and she wanted to take part in an activity that will grow awareness for the brand as well as allow her to interact in a fun way with the students, faculty and staff of Northeastern.”

NEIU student Tiara Lopez stopped by to snap a quick selfie with Gibson and said, “The inauguration helped me get to know a little bit more about Gibson’s family background and educational background. An event like this helps students actually see the president in person.”

Leslie Hurtado, who is a transfer student in the midst of her first semester, had time to meet Gibson. “So far, I got a genuine vibe off of her, and I think she’ll be able to give us great opportunities. If we address a problem, I believe they’ll be able to solve it.”

In an interview with the Independent on Aug. 2018, Gibson said this semester she was going to focus on being “out and about.”

To read more about Gibson’s background and events, please visit: NEIUIndependent.org and read “Gibson: Not just a president, a model for students.”

Disclaimer: Leslie Hurtado is a writer for the Independent.