Over 450 inspirational sticky notes have been left all over campus in the last year, and ETSU members can thank The Roo for this increase in positivity.

“It started off on an impulse around the fall of last year,” said The Roo, who wishes to remain anonymous. “I was in a rough place in my life and was going through a bad relationship, and I was upset and wanted to make other people happy because that’s what makes me happy.”

  • (Contributed / @rooetsu Instagram)
  • (Contributed / @rooetsu Instagram)

This desire quickly spurred into a plan of action.

“I started thinking about what supplies I needed,” The Roo said. “My dad had gotten me a stack of what were like sticky notes. I tried it one day with just ten of them, and just doing those few made me happy. So, I decided to make an Instagram, so people could say thank you or whatever they wanted.

“I placed another ten the next day,” they said. “It started in Governors, then the library, then the clock tower. I used to keep track of where I put them. It was after the 15th or 16th one someone messaged and said it made their day. During class, I would write them, and during the night I would put music on and put them up.”

In a month, The Roo wrote about 200 and would get three to four direct messages a day. One person even messaged to tell The Roo that he had been contemplating life before he ran across the note.

The Roo kept writing notes for the next few months. The more they wrote, the happier it made them. Finally, The Roo was at a place where they felt emotionally stable and went on a hiatus.

“I wanted everyone to know that there was someone there for them in the background,” said The Roo. “Around winter break, my friends knew, but I still didn’t make it public, and I probably never will. I don’t want popularity for it. I decided to make my own impact. I feel like more positivity needs to be spread around campus.”

People can take the notes or leave them. Either way, it doesn’t matter to The Roo. What matters is that everyone feels welcome on campus. Follow @rooetsu on Instagram to keep up with the positivity.

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