Sorority Girls Travel To Africa With Local Church In Desperate Search For New Profile Picture

SteveHolt9 years ago

DALLAS, TEXAS — Two SMU sophomores are excited to be back in Dallas after a 10-day mission trip in Africa led to the capturing of a new Facebook profile picture.

Samantha Baker, 19, and Casey Whitmore, 18, both set off on their journey in the middle of October after mid-term examination week. The two sorority sisters said they hoped the trip would lead to a new Facebook profile picture and maybe some good Instagram posts, as well.

“We really didn’t know what to expect in terms of lighting and exposure but it turned out not to be a problem,” Baker said. “It was kind of a crapshoot. I brought my Canon T2I and a tripod and we both brought our phones. Before we knew it, we were in a small village in Kenya getting some great Facebook pictures.”

The trip cost each girl around $8,000 each. A small price to pay, they say, for the social media exposure.

“We took like 600 photos,” Whitmore said. “I ended up with three Instagrams over 200 likes each and Samantha reactivated her Twitter account and managed to get a few dozen or so retweets.”

Michael LaDue, the church mission trip director, said he didn’t expect a lot from the two girls, but they somehow performed below expectations.

“I mean, I don’t know what you want me to say,” LaDue said. “We were there to build a few small houses but every time I turned around they had their damn cameras out. They were forcing some of the village children to take photos for them. Those poor kids don’t know how to use cameras. I think the two girls may have laid a total of four bricks.”

Baker and Whitmore were not excused from class for the trip, and SMU officials say both students will receive zeros on all missed assignments. Neither girl seemed affected by the school’s decision, saying they learned more over 10-days in Africa than they have all of college.

“It was absolutely worth it,” Baker said. “I mean, school is fleeting, but we are going to have these photos for the rest of our lives.”.

Image via YouTube