In Texas, celebrity sightings are rare. However, these members of the Hockaday community were lucky enough to meet some of our favorite stars. The Fourcast quotes Upper School history teacher Lucio Benedetto and juniors Meg O’Brien and Nina La Barba on their different experiences.

LUCIO BENEDETTO MEETS MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

“At the time (mid ‘90s) I was working with a high-tech consulting firm in Austin and a group of us after work had gone to Guero’s, which often attracted a lot of music people that came into town, so it was always kind of fun to go there. So we were sitting there and we were having some margaritas and nachos and we happen to look over at the bar and someone said ‘that kinda looks like Matthew McConaughey over there’. And we had all seen Dazed and Confused and he was pretty well known in Austin, and so I looked over and I was like ‘ya, I’m pretty sure that is him’. We were like ‘someone should go talk to him’. I was usually pretty shy but I had seen him in movies so I decided to go talk to him. I just kind of walked up and I just said ‘hey, Matthew McConaughey?’ and he was like ‘yeah, man! How’s it going?’. He just kind of turned and did the ‘bro’ handshake with me and I was just like ‘yeah, I think you’re a terrific actor and I really enjoyed Dazed and Confused, and he did his little ‘alright, alright, alright’. We laughed and he was sitting there having some tequila shots and he bought me a tequila shot and so we had a little toast to Austin and I got to have a tequila shot with Matthew McConaughey.”

MEG O’BRIEN MEETS CHACE CRAWFORD

I saunter into the Cowboy’s stadium one Sunday afternoon and I walked right to my seat, didn’t see anyone, I just sat down. A couple minutes later I was getting up to get a drink and I look up and I see Katie Huber and David Bentley and I was like “hello Katie Huber,” and she goes “Meg, look right there.” So I turned around and she’s like “that’s Chace Crawford, isn’t it?” This was during the time I was watching Gossip Girl on Netflix so I was like “ohhh it totally is Chace Crawford.” Katie had already gotten a picture with him and told me she could take one of us, so I was like “okay.” So we go up and he’s sitting two rows above our seats. I went up to him and I tapped his shoulder and I was like “hi” and he was like “hey” and then I asked if I could get a picture and he said “sure.” So he stands up and he’s getting in position, and the field is right behind us and we take a picture and I go “thank you” and then we hug. So then I turned around to go get my food and I’m absolutely star struck, I can’t breathe, I have butterflies in my stomach. He was so nice and he has the bluest, bluest eyes, and he’s kind of short but he’s still taller than me so it’s okay. He likes to wear hats to these games and he likes to use binoculars. And then I saw him a little later and he waved at me. Now I see him every time and he sits with his dad.

NINA LABARBA: CONCERT ENCOUNTERS

So I was at one of Mitchell Musso’s concerts one time, it was during the peak of Hannah Montana and Disney Channel and everything and Keke Palmer was performing and teaching dance moves from the jump rope movie [Jump In] so afterwards I got to talk to her for a while and like get some autographs and everything. So that was in middle school, and then freshman year I went to an R5 concert at the House of Blues and a couple of songs before they finished I ran out the back door and ran out to the side and I waited for Ross Lynch to get back to his bus and so a couple friends and I stopped him at his bus and talked to him and got pictures but then he had to go.

– Manisha Ratakonda