According to the University of Chicago, 76 percent of American teens use Instagram. Junior Ovie Mayo is not one of those teens, but he is the subject of an Instagram fan page that boasts over 125 followers, and the account is only getting bigger.
“I’m surprised at how many people want to see pictures of me,” said Mayo.Â
Junior Drew Elo, who is one of the creators of the account, said the spirit of the account is one of genuine appreciation.
“I’m just amazed at how many followers it’s gotten in the span of less than a week,” said Elo.
The account was originally started by Ovie’s friends to celebrate his achievement of getting a date.Â
“I was out bowling,” Mayo said, “and they were like ‘We should make you a fan page,’, so I agreed to it. Well, they would have made the account anyways, so I didn’t have a choice.”
At a time in BHS where Instagram accounts are popping up every day, the boys stood out against the rest. Their sincere account, made to appreciate their friend, was a wholesome outlier compared to the harsher, vindictive pages.
“It’s cool how many people are getting involved, but some of the accounts have gone a bit too far,” said Junior Lucas Hegland, another creator of the account.
It’s not just the boys who are excited about the growing account. Many people at Buffalo are happy to see Ovie in the spotlight.
“I love Ovie. He has never been anything but kind to me. He 100% deserves the account and all the attention with it,” Junior Megan Estrada said.
Estrada hasn’t had many experiences with the account itself, but its influence over BHS is powerful. She recounts a time during lunch where everybody started to applaud Mayo because he got a second date.
“Ovie is an amazing person, and the account shows exactly that,” Estrada said.
