It’s not every day that college students celebrate their fifth birthday, but Amy Vitrano, mass communication sophomore, has been waiting for this day to arrive for four years. Vitrano is one of about 200,000 people in the United States with a Feb. 29 birthday. The distinctive date appears on calendars every four years. Steven Ross, associate history professor, said leap years are derived from the Gregorian calendar, a redesigned version of the Julian calendar created by Roman leader Julius Caesar. He said the extra day tacked onto leap years offered a convenient way to keep the calendar in step with seasonal changes. When Vitrano turned 19, she joined The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, an online community for people whose birthday falls on Feb. 29. “I like to say that I’m going to be 5 [years old] because I like the reaction I get from people who have no idea what I’m talking about,” said Vitrano, who actually turned 20 years old today. Vitrano said she usually celebrates her birthday Feb. 28 because her younger sister’s birthday is March 1. “My parents really tried to make my birthday as special as it would have been on a regular day,” she said. “Just because I didn’t have a day on certain years didn’t mean we didn’t celebrate.” Jonathan Kearney, kinesiology sophomore, received an unconventional gift for his fourth birthday – a pickup truck. “I was talking with some friends, and I told them that my last birthday was my sophomore year of high school,” said Kearney, who turns 20 years old today. Biology sophomore Morgan Romero, who also celebrates her fifth leap year birthday today, said she has always enjoyed her uncommon birthday. “When I was in 2nd grade, KPLC-TV came to school, and we had a little birthday party in class,” Romero said. “It was a lot of fun, and I definitely loved the attention. There were also little perks that came along with my birthday. The local bakery would always give kids a cookie on their birthdays, but if your birthday was on Feb. 29, you would get a free birthday cake.” During years when Feb. 29 is absent from the calendar, Romero blows out the candles on her birthday cake on Feb. 28, though her mother said her birthday is technically March 1. Romero said her birthday eventually became a two-day event, and her friends wished her a happy birthday on both days. “It’s kind of disappointing when your birthday doesn’t show up on the calendar, but when a leap year finally comes, it makes it so much more exciting,” Romero said. “My grandparents always told me I’d love it when I’m older because when everyone else my age is 80, I’ll still be 20 [years old].”
—-Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]