University of Chicago Students: A bevy of social entrepreneurs and idea makers

Is that Hogwarts? No, it’s the University of Chicago: this week’s location for our Students of the Week post.

Their mascot is the Phoenix, and you’ll find these impressive overachievers spending a lot of time studying amidst Gothic-style architecture and discussing Hegel at Harper Library. In their free time, they’re eating at the Med or hanging out at the Point.

Klevin Lo, is still a Lakers fan but he loves exploring the city he now calls home, Chicago.

You’ll find Kristen Gindler working at the intersection of public policy and research. Social media management and non-profit development are Kristen’s forte!

Dennis Zhao is an idea machine who likes to geek out on value investing, hip-hop dance, and design.

And finally, meet our TEC intern for this summer, Sunena, who is a social entrepreneur, motorcyclist, and jewelry maker.

5 interesting things that students do in or around the University of Chicago:

Get (to) the Point?! It’s a man-made peninsula.
Bike up LSD…no it’s not a drug. But an awesome street bordering Lake Michigan.
Food at Pilsen! The only place for authentic Mexican food…yummy.
Shopping at Watertower
Go to Jazz Clubs!

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Choosing the right color palette for your page

Whether you’re creating or updating your about.me page, selecting the colors for your page can be a daunting task. Choosing the right color palette directly impacts how effectively you communicate the information on your page. But it doesn’t have to be so daunting. Here are some answers to your questions about choosing colors for your page.

How many colors should I choose?

While this is a hugely debated question, a good number of designers recommend using three main colors on a website. The platform currently enables you to choose a color for your Name, Headline, Bio Text, Links, Page Background, and Bio Background. We recommend choosing one color for your Bio Background and a second color, which contrasts with your Bio Background, for your Name, Bio Text. Finally, we suggest selecting a third color (which also contrasts with your Bio Background) for your Headline and Links. This will make them stand out.

How do I find colors that go well together?

There are several different color rules you can follow when trying to find complimentary colors. Some of the easiest tools we’ve found are sites like Adobe Kuler that help you choose complimentary colors when you start by picking one color on the color wheel.

Are there tools on about.me to help me choose the right colors?

Yes! Our Color tab in the Edit Page panel can definitely help you pick the right color. Simply click one of the color boxes and our helpful color selector will pop up. The color selector has several suggestions based on the colors in your background image. You can also use the circular color picker button (right next to the color number) and you’ll be able to hover directly over a part of your background image to select that specific color.

How do I evoke a certain emotion with the colors I choose?

Color psychology is another thing to consider when choosing the colors for your page. Here’s a list of colors and their most common meanings:

Red: energy, passion, power
Blue: coolness, freedom, loyalty, patience
Yellow: light, optimism, happiness, joy
Green: life, health, wealth, prosperity
Orange: friendliness, warmth, courage
Purple: peace, wisdom, royalty, sophistication
White: freshness, cleanliness, youth
Black: power, elegance, mystery
Pink: romance, playfulness
Brown: comfort, strength, stability

Do you have some examples?

Of course! If you’re looking for examples of pages with great color palettes, check out our team’s collection of Pages with Amazing Color Schemes.

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Adventures with Backpackers

“When I am in the office, I feel that I am existing unconsciously and that moments of my life are passing without my involvement. Backpacking, bagging a summit, climbing a crag- those are the total opposite. I chase that electrifying feeling of existing because I can’t let life pass me by.”

These are the words of backpacker Katie Beringer whose passion for outdoor sports is effusive and doubtlessly felt by many other backpackers and adventurers who we’re featuring today.

We’re excited to highlight them because we’ve seen so many backpackers use about.me to tell their stories in unique and beautiful ways. Some link to their blogs, like Brian Green, who uses his to narrate his early love for the outdoors and give tips to fellow backpacking enthusiasts. Others, like Katie, use their pages to connect with other outdoor adventurers and kindred spirits. Still others use their background pictures to show off their passion for adventuring, like Henry O’Brien, whose photo is in our header.

So take a minute. Explore some of our favorite backpackers and their stories.

Ever hear of the Prometheus Ocean Diver line of watches? Brian Green invented them.

We admire Katie Beringer‘s passion for using sports and outdoor adventures to empower women.

This Colombia native, Tomas F. Marentes, has lived in 5 countries, including the U.S., where he is currently earning a degree in advertising.

We completely relate to Kara Harms and her passion for chocolate and find it awesome that she plays the ukelele.

Erik Johnson‘s optimism shines through in his beautiful background picture.

In 2012, Kristen Addis quit her job as an investment banker to travel solo in Southeast Asia. Two years later, she’s still going stong.

David Hine is a single malt drinking, wild camping, packrafting, outdoor enthusiast.

We’re not quite sure why she’s in this bathtub, but we love that Sara Anttonen, of Finland, is simultaneously enjoying the great outdoors.

A ComicCon attendee, Apurv Gujar is a mechanical engineer with a nomad’s soul.

Know any other groups of cool people using about.me? Leave us a note about it in the comment section so we can feature them!

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Aurora Borealis, Reindeer and Bread Cheese: Fun in Finland

There’s so much to see and explore in Finland that we can hardly fit it all in this post! Let’s start with a fun fact though, did you know that Santa Claus comes from Finland? Here he is in his home in Rovaniemi where you can visit him all year long.

Below are more amazing facts that Alexander Kuznetsov, of Hello Lapland, shared with us about his home country. He was also kind enough to send us the photo he took of Santa, his time lapse video of the Northern Lights and the picture of them in the header.

Finns enjoy everyman’s right, meaning they can roam freely in nature, even on private land. They even have the right to pick berries, mushrooms and fish as they wander. As a result they have the duty to protect nature and they take this task very seriously.
A great way to explore Finland is through its cuisine including: fresh whitefish from local lakes, mushroom soups and bread cheese, or leipäjuusto, for dessert.
There are more reindeer in Finnish Lapland than people.
Helsinki, with its wide range of cultural activities and events, is one of the most interesting places to live in Finland.
Finns are quite shy and often keep to themselves but are still very accommodating and warm people. Meet some of them below!

Sami Inkinen is on a boat right now. He’s rowing, unsupported, across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Hawaii.

To see more of her amazing photography, check out Jenni Laaksonen‘s flickr feed.

We love Antti Poikola‘s photo which shows off his passion for cycling!

Mervi Eskelinen is a craftswoman and cat lover who blogs about blogging. Very meta.

Petri Viitala is a musician, theater technician and avid mushroom hunter!

A nonfiction writer and mother, Katleena Kortesuo loves rocking those dreadlocks.

Kristian Linnoinen must be quite the swimming enthusiast as the COO of a swim school and CEO of an aquatic exercise company.

Passionate about clean tech, Kaisa Hernberg is working to make the world a cleaner and greener place.

Antti Virolainen won a grant from the Chilean government to work on his startup there and is now back in Helsinki to continue developing ShareTribe

Thanks again for coming along for our world-traveling adventure, stay tuned for our next destination! If you have a suggestion of where we should visit next, please tell us about it in our comment section.

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Singing, Arabic Poetry and Gaming: Students of the Week

Instead of focusing on a specific university this week, we’ve curated a collection of awesome students from all around the world. You might find them studying at a law library in Croatia or singing in a choir like our post header, Kevina Williams, who is completing her business studies in the UK this month.

When he’s not programming, Mohamad Shatnawi is writing Arabic poetry and novels in Jordan.

Though she’s studying Environmental biology, Alicia Leow aspires to be a journalist. You can also find her gaming in Malaysia.

Formerly the director of social media for a presidential campaign, Fran Kušeta now studies law in Croatia

Quick Tips:

It’s important to give a great first impression through email, so add your profile to your email signature! Here’s how. If you have a Gmail or Yahoo account check out our new signature styles.
Did you know that you can add a link to your resume PDF on your about.me profile? If you’re looking for a job, this is an easy and professional way to get potential employers to learn more about you.

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How To: Take a background photo with your smartphone

Not everyone has access to a camera or a photographer, but one in five people around the world now have a smartphone (crazy, right?!). While some of the most beautiful about.me pages have high resolution photos, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to visually tell your story with just a smartphone. Here are steps to taking a great shot with your phone to use as your about.me background.

(1) Consider composition. Turn your phone horizontally, and take a photo with you on either the far left or far right. If you’d like to get technical, follow the “rule of thirds.” Composing shots this way is a standard practice of many professional photographers and also a good way to leave space for your biography section on about.me. You don’t want anything to block that beautiful body or face of yours, do you?

(2) Choose your landscape wisely. Try to find a unique spot to take your photo. Red brick, graffiti, white walls, city skylines, and beaches are examples of ideal places to take a photo. This photo was taken in front of a house, so don’t worry if you can’t hop on the highest rooftop in your city.

(3) Use photo filters. Take advantage of smartphone apps like VSCO, and play with different filters to add some artistic spice.

BONUS: Above all else, be yourself and don’t be afraid to show your personality!

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Shopping, Saving and Maintaining Sanity with Mommy Bloggers

There are a ton of awesome bloggers on about.me, but have you checked out our mommy bloggers? Mom or not, their pages and blogs have lots to offer from money saving advice to funny videos and shopping tips.

Take a look at all their pages here and don’t forget to congratulate Amy Clark (our header photo) on her 10 year anniversary with MomAdvice.com.

Apart from being The Shopping Mama, Kate Marsh Lord is a die hard Ohio State buckeyes fan. OH-IO!

We loved the photo Kat Bouska selected for her page. It seems to embody the quirky name of her blog, Mama’s Losin’ It.

Carrie Rocha started Pocket Your Dollars after pulling out of $50,000 in debt.

Check out The Go To Mom’s website to see Kimberly Blaine, interview Vice President Joe Biden.

Know any other groups of cool people using about.me? Leave us a note about it in the comment section so we can feature them!

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Traveling with about.me: Romania

As Diana Doroftei (below), author of The Little Book of Romanian Wisdom tells us, most people associate Romania with Dracula and perfect 10 gymnastic routines. But as the above video shows, there is so much more to this country that birthed the inventor of the fountain pen, insulin, and the modern jet engine. There’s the natural beauty of the county which is prized by many, including the Prince of Wales.

And let’s not forget the people. Have a look at nine we’ve chosen below and search “Romania” on about.me to learn more about this marvelous country that we’re longing to visit in person!

Meet Alexandra G., a civil engineering student, social entrepreneur and fashionista.

Antonio Éram has the craziest commute we’ve ever heard of: Romania to California.

Meet Silvia Pintilie, interior design studio owner and Ph.D student.

A law student, Radu Odangiu is also a founding member of The Sustainable Diplomacy Project with Alexandra G.

We were inspired by Leyla-Denisa Obreja dreams of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and doing some recreational space travel.

Apart from being a lawyer, Alex Galan is a family man who is into cooking, photography, and literature.

Meet Diana Doroftei, author of The Little Book of Romanian Wisdom.

Alexandru Haidamac is a young creative who won gold at last year’s Cannes Lions creativity festival.

Meet Raluca Maria G. an aspiring doctor and former model whose sister heads up this post.

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She’s Got the [Visually Creative] Power: USC Student Jordan Caldwell

“Visuals play into my day-to-day life as I am preparing images and digital animations,” said Jordan Caldwell, a student at the University of Southern California.

In the spring, the work that she is doing now will be showcased in an installation about color and music at USC. Do you recognize Jordan from the most recent Students of the Week post where we featured USC?

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Thirsty for Adventure, Vegan Food and Fashion: Students of the University of Georgia

For our regularly scheduled Students of the Week, here’s a hand-picked collection of awesomely passionate people from the University of Georgia. You may be able to catch these folks listening to the latest indie band at the 40 Watt Club, eating at Last Resort Grill, or cheering on the Dawgs at Sanford Stadium.

Check out passionate vegan and exercise and sports science major, Lauren Roland.

We loved Gabriel W. Cuomo‘s page because of his profound bio and background picture representing his thirst for adventure.

And how about that YouTube channel of fashionista, Lexi Lindon.

Then there’s Kyle Southerland who hopes to someday be a plastic surgeon.

Take a look at Anna Elizabeth‘s page. Don’t forget to check out her style blog.

Last, but not least, meet James Cochran: sky diver, Boy Scout and teaching assistant.

Quick Tips:

It’s important to give a great first impression through email, so add your profile to your email signature! Here’s how. If you have a Gmail or Yahoo account check out our new signature styles.
Did you know that you can add a link to your resume PDF on your about.me profile? If you’re looking for a job, this is an easy and professional way to get potential employers to learn more about you.

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How many colors should I choose?

How do I find colors that go well together?

Are there tools on about.me to help me choose the right colors?

How do I evoke a certain emotion with the colors I choose?

Do you have some examples?

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