Each one of Drake’s nearly 5,000 students is unique. One student, however, has undeniably carved out a spot for himself as a so-called campus celebrity.

John Ching is a second-year student who has found fame on campus after some of his hobbies caught the attention of his fellow students. He is widely known on Yik Yak as Lasso Man due to his proficiency in roping.

“[I] always wanted to learn how to do it,” Ching said. “My dad grew up on a cattle ranch in the Philippines, and he’d tell me stories about the cowboys on the ranch wrangling cattle.”

One day, Ching decided he would just give it a try. After practicing on fire hydrants for a while, he finally decided to build a roping dummy. That roping dummy has become affectionately known to the student body as Alfonzo, Ching’s wooden roping cow.

“It took eight or nine hours on a Saturday [to build Alfonzo],” Ching said. “I built it with an alum of the music fraternity who still participates in fraternity events.”

Ching is not just a campus celebrity; he is also involved in numerous campus groups. He is the current president of one of Drake’s professional music fraternities on campus, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is also involved in Symphonic Band, Drake Jazz One, the Jazz Combo and Bulldog Brass.

Ching also runs an Instagram account where followers know him as “The Bagchelor.” However, YikYak users have also called him “Bagpipes Guy,”.

Ching says he hasn’t always been the Bagpipes Guy.

“In September of my first semester at Drake, I just searched Des Moines pipe bands and the pipe band I’m a part of now came up and they offered free lessons,” Ching said.

The bagpipes weren’t the only instrument Ching learned during his first year on campus. January of 2024, Ching said, he picked up the drums, which is what he now plays in the Symphonic Band. He purchased his own bagpipes in April and since then has been known as Bagpipes Guy.

The sound of bagpipes coming from the Fine Arts Center isn’t the only factor that contributed to Ching’s campus fame. According to second-year student Kate Ladevich, it was a moment during the 2024 Drake Relays that solidified his celebrity status.

“There was a tornado,” Ladevich said. “Everyone was in the basement of Stally and he was playing bagpipes outside in the rain.”

No Drake celebrity story would be complete without YikYak, which is where most of Ching’s fame originated.

“I’ve seen the YikYaks,” Ching said. “I’ve heard from people that know me personally that they’ve heard other people talking about it.”

Ching also said that he has frequently gotten a good chuckle at some of the posts about him.

“I’ve been called a cryptid for both the bagpipes and the lassoing,” Ching said.

Overall, he described his experience of campus stardom as “unexpected and fulfilling.”

“I do those things for me,” Ching said. “A lot of times roping would be a study break and bagpipes would be a break from my other music at Drake.”

Ching also said that it can be frustrating, because when people talk about him, they focus on his hobbies instead of the other aspects of his personhood.

“People just reduce it,” Ching said, “I’ve got two majors, I’m at 21 credits this semester. I do more than just lasso and bagpipes.”

Even with all the frustration as well as his busy schedule, Ching said he enjoys what he does.

“I’m just doing what I like to do and sometimes people find it interesting.”