Kristian Evans, Went to Greece to avoid Gabe Benson

Study abroad is often billed as a chance to expand horizons, gain perspective on one small person’s role in a big world and cultivate international friendships that will last lifetimes. One courageous student is fighting against all of those notions.

Kristian Evans, a student so pretentious he would write about himself in a third person article, has been honest from day one about studying abroad. “You go abroad to grow your Instagram brand,” Evans said in the midst of a 17-day spring break binge of obviously orchestrated candid photos and eye-roll worthy captions. (View them @kevanss11. Seriously, they’re real.)

Evans, who is studying at the American College of Greece in Athens, when asked by “The Echo” about Greek politics, Evans failed to provide coherent comment, asking instead for advice on the correct filter to use for his post from a Greek city he both failed to learn how to spell or pronounce.

This trend is part of a fascinating examination of the role of technology as a unifier. Communications Professor Robert Groven expanded on that idea by saying, “While technology has certainly expanded our capability to connect, it has also given us a comfort zone that fits on the palm of our hand.”

Professor Groven was careful to explain that this situation had little to do with Evans, who he described as “an imbecile with the mental capacity of a cyclops,” a reference that, despite studying in Greece and being required to read the “Odyssey” in Groven’s Liberating Letter class, Evans will certainly not understand. It is important to note the Professor Groven refuses to follow Evans on Instagram despite many attempts by Evans to promote his brand.

Overall, the trend of valuing image over experience may be concerning, but this “Echo” reporter takes solace in the fact that it seems, in the case of Kristian Evans, to be isolated to the most narcissistic and least self-aware students of Augsburg Seminary.

This article first appeared in the Friday, April 6th Edition of The Echo.