Some have seen her zoom by while walking to the library. Some were on their way to the K-State Student Union and had to move quickly after spotting her to keep from getting run over.
They don’t know her real name, but they see her all the time, riding her scooter around campus.
Her name is Rachel Ann Babcock, otherwise known as “Scooter Girl.”
But there is more to Babcock than just her scooter. She is a freshman in pre-veterinary medicine from Chicago.
“I like to keep to myself, and I would definitely call myself an introvert,” Babcock said.
Introvert or not, nothing keeps Babcock from riding her scooter.
It all started when Babcock’s brother got a scooter, grew sick of it and passed it on to her.
She has maintained it as a hobby, even through her transition to college.
“Everybody likes to do their own thing, and I like my scooter,” she said. “I also just love being outside.”
Babcock said she loves that the scooter is portable and that she can take it anywhere. She can fold it up and take it with her into class.
People might wonder whether Babcock is aware of all of the commotion she has caused with her scooter. Does she know people call her “Scooter Girl?”
She is well aware.
“I don’t get it,” Babcock said. “As far as the ‘Scooter Girl’ thing … I don’t really like it.”
She said she feels it is unwanted attention.
“People will honk at me when they’re driving down the street,” she said.
Babcock said she knows people talk about her.
“Everybody loves gossip, but they aren’t sensitive to the person being talked about,” she said. “I ride a scooter. So what?”
Despite all the commotion, nothing has stopped Babcock from doing what she loves to do.
She said she has not let the gossip, the Facebook.com groups or past Collegian Fourum comments ruin what she enjoys.
Babcock has many other interests as well.
She said she loves animals and has had several pets.
She is a history buff who knows everything about her Polish family lineage.
She loves playing Spider Solitaire and card games with her brother and has a passion for horseback riding. She lives on a quiet floor in Haymaker Hall and calls her room her “favorite place on campus.”
Though Babcock claims to be introverted, she said she would rather have people come to her and say hello than call her “Scooter Girl” and run off.
“If you’re going to talk about somebody, try to know them first,” she said. “My name is Rachel – not Scooter Girl.”
Will K-State students continue to see Rachel out on her scooter in the future?
“I have been riding my scooter for a long time,” she said, “and I don’t see myself losing interest.”
Babcock said she has a message for students on K-State’s campus.
Assume nothing, and be sure to remember her name is Rachel – just Rachel.