Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated
Some people have goals to kickstart their career with internet stardom, while others are unintentionally turned into viral sensations without even trying. That was the case for Dieunerst Collin.
The now-teenager was nine-year-old when he became famous for his side-eyed facial reaction while standing in a line at Popeyes. The meme was shared so many times that he would be easily recognized in public.
“When it first happened, I kind of felt sad about it,” Collin said. “It was somebody randomly recording me, and I’ve never been viral before. When it first came out, I would take it as bullying, every time I used to hear ‘Oh, Terio, Terio,’ and that’s not my name … a couple of weeks later, I figured out it was me based on the video. I got kind of emotional, cried a little bit. Over the years, I got over it.”
On Sunday, the high school football player was victorious. Sports Illustrated reported that he helped lead East Orange High School (N.J.) to a victorious state championship win in a triple-overtime thriller as they remained undefeated all season.
While growing up with his image attached to a viral internet moment, the six-foot-one, 315-pound senior offensive lineman’s unwanted fame led to constant bullying from classmates in school. However, he found ways to turn those negative moments in his life into positive experiences by just being himself.
“When I was in middle school, I had a couple of people say things like, ‘You’re Terio, you’re a meme,’ and it was all the high schoolers…,” Collin said. “People in my class found it very funny, so then I just continued being myself. I got over it once everybody who would randomly come up to me and call me Terio actually met me and learned my actual name and got to know me. That’s when I got over it.”
Collin said he would instantly be recognized by strangers while traveling out of state. So he kept an effort to avoid being recorded by people he did not know, which is something he still finds “very weird.”
In addition to winning the football title, Collin was also named first-team All-Conference for his contributions on the field. As for the future, the New Jersey native is still figuring things out.
And while he plans to go to college to pursue a career in sports media after earning his degree, Sports Illustrated reported that he also wants to help other people overcome the adverse effects of bullying and unwanted
attention.“I would say just don’t take it so personal, because when I did take it personal, I did get to a place where it was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go out anymore,'” Collin said. “And stay close to friends and family … you’ll also meet new people when you don’t take it as personal.”