Meet "Humans of John Cabot" Creator Silvia Bezzi
Communications major Silvia Bezzi created the blog “Humans of John Cabot” for her class COM 221 Writing Across the Media. Following the format of the famous blog “Humans of New York,” Bezzi, who is from Castel San Pietro Terme near Bologna, Italy, began interviewing members of the John Cabot University community, letting them tell their stories. What started as a class project has become a place for students to empathize with each other and learn from one another.
Silvia Bezzi
What is “Humans of John Cabot”? How is it structured?
Humans of John Cabot (HOJC) is a space where I caption and post daily glimpses into the lives of JCU students, staff, and faculty. It serves as both a blog and a Facebook page. My hope is to increase empathy between the people who tell and read the entries through authentic storytelling.
Here’s how it works: I contact people around school and ask for a picture and some of their time. Then I sit down with them and listen to what they have to say. I like to interview people on their own terms, so I leave the questions open and let the person conduct the interview.
Why did you decide to create the blog?
I am a big fan of the original “Humans of New York.” I love the feeling of connection that Humans of New York (HONY) provides. My mom taught me from an early age that everyone we meet is fighting a battle, so we should always be kind and helpful, when we can. So, inspired by HONY, I figured something similar could be done at JCU.
I had to open a blog for Professor Antonio Lopez‘s class COM 221 Writing Across the Media, so I proposed the idea to him and he was all in favor of it. I run the blog myself and Professor Lopez checks it periodically.
What makes JCU a good place for this kind of blog?
There’s an astonishingly diverse variety of stories at JCU, which makes it a particularly good fit for this blog. Also, many of us are fighting the same battles, dealing with the same worries, or aspiring to accomplish similar things.
I recently interviewed a girl who was struggling with her parents’ divorce. After posting the interview, another student came up to me and thanked me. He said he “needed to hear it” because his parents, too, had recently gone through a rough divorce, and what that student said in her interview allowed him to gain perspective.
How has studying communications at JCU shaped your writing or helped you become a better communicator?
Being at JCU has drastically improved my English. Every class has been a step forward. I learned different communication styles, identified my mistakes, and received great guidance from classmates and professors.
What are your plans for after graduation?
My future plans are still in-the-making! I may move to Toronto, Canada, where I have found a university that offers a Master’s s degree in Creative Advertising. This degree really interests me since I would love to work in the creative industries, eventually as an Art Director.
Communications has always been my calling, and I have a strong desire to do meaningful work. As Toni Morrison said, “When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.”
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