Amid the on-going fallout fromDonald Trump ’s " hot mic " scandaland the intense expectancy forward of Sunday night ’s increasingly consequentialpresidential debate , CNN ’s thoroughgoing live coverage is fixed on the large showdown ’s venue , Washington University in St. Louis . And with the cable intelligence heavyweight ’s cameras pointed at the campus for hours at a time , one student there has already cash in in on all the aid – just by holding a mansion with his Venmo usersname .
While the background of CNN ’s lively coverage from St. Louis has been crowded with dozens of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump sign over the last few days , Washington University fresher Albert Wu camp out in front of the tv camera with a sign bearing a markedly non - political message on Saturday dark : " STUDENT DEBT SUCKS - VENMO @ALBERTWU97 . " reasonably brilliant , right ? Well , within minutes of appearing on national TV , Wu ’s Venmo invoice light up with dozens of contributions from viewers across the rural area . By the end of the night , the sign sack up Wumore than $ 330,which is plenteousness of hard currency to cover his next few pizza speech .
" At first it was just a caboodle of couple centime donation and the episodic one one dollar bill here and there , " Wu enunciate via email . " I did n’t really think I ’d make that much . Then after a while the contribution depart sustain higher and eminent . The highest donations I got were three freestanding $ 15 contribution . "
Photo by Allison Hamburg/Courtesy of Albert Wu
Many of the contributions included rum message like " I feel you bro " and " Good circumstances with those student loans " and " From my student debt to yours , " among others . Some of Wu ’s friends ended up slope in , too , while others ended uprequestinga slice of the cash , he said .
The 18 - class - older Boston indigen said he was inspired to create the mark after seeing stories aboutthe guy who nurse up a similar sign call for beer moneyduring ESPN ’s College GameDay show a few week ago . He would n’t have scored any of the cash , though , if he had n’t won the poster he used to make the sign while checking out the CNN program area after doing some homework .
" I think the best part is that I had won that WashU poster that I pull on the back of in a carnival like ring toss game at one of the tents , so I all could ’ve not had that sign at all , " he said . " wild how things bechance with the smallest change . "
Tony Merevick/Thrillist
Wu has n’t determined exactly what he ’ll spend the money on yet , but said it will in all likelihood go towards crucial college disbursement like food for thought – you know , since it wo n’t really put much of dent in his tutelage costs . And despite his success out there on Saturday Nox , he intends to baby-sit out CNN ’s debate coverage on Sunday nighttime . Unsurprisingly , several other student were seen brandish signs with their own Venmo usernames there throughout the 24-hour interval .
In case you ’re wondering , Wu say hedoesplan on voting in the presidential election this November 8th after recently registering in Missouri . Although he did n’t discover which prospect he plan to vote for , the experience over the weekend may have serve him on a separate subject that he ’s been on the fence on so far :
" I ’m in the Olin Business School and moderately much undecided on a major , " he tell . " However , after this short money - making escapade I think I ’m meant to do patronage . "
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