Joey: Front Page Feature Story, 1st Day of Class, Georgetown University Newspaper

"Freshman Takes to YouTube to Chronicle Experiences
During First Year at GU,"
The Hoya, Aug. 31, 2010

Joey took a midnight train from (Jessop) Georgia the evening of Thurs., August 26 carrying three suitcases and three bags en route to his first year at Georgetown University. We talked a couple of times during the trip, in between a visit to the dining car and reading "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," required reading for incoming freshmen.

After arriving at Union Station around 7 a.m. ET, Joey made friends with a porter who gave him a ride to the terminal. Joey had time to grab a savory croissant at what he described as a posh restaurant and give me a call. Afterwards, he took a taxi to the front gate at GU where he was greeted by a representative from the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP) who presented him with a gift bag chocked full of toiletries and other goodies and a bed set from Target. Joey called again after checking into his room, on the 8th floor of the dorm which boasted a panoramic view of the campus. "It couldn't get any better than this!" he told me, almost breathless. Since he was one of the first freshmen to arrive, he took a few minutes to chat with his new resident assistant. A short time later, she ran up to him and said, "Are you a singer?" He responded, "Yes, I am." She explained that a security guard recognized Joey and said to her, "Do you know who that is? That's Joey Pearson! I have his CDs!"

I called late that evening to say good night, and introduce myself to Patrick, Joey's new roommate and a fellow freshman from Connecticut. Patrick sounded like a great guy! He said he was an introvert himself, and was grateful that he was matched with Joey because it will make it easier for him to meet people. I said, "Oh, yeah! You will definitely meet a lot of people hanging out with Joey," and added that he hit the jackpot in the roommate department. Joey feels the same way about Patrick.

The photo above was taken after Joey set up his room. Note the traditional "Wall of Scarves" over his bed. I wonder if Joey will donate his scarf collection to the Smithsonian upon graduation in 2014!

You can follow Joey's adventures as a freshman at GU on his YouTube channel.