‘Be Someone’ sign back, thanks to self-starting college students

The "Be Someone" sign is seen on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, over Interstate 45 near downtown Houston. See how the famous sign has changed through the years >>> The "Be Someone" sign is seen on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, over Interstate 45 near downtown Houston. See how the famous sign has changed through the years >>> Photo: Jay R. Jordan Photo: Jay R. Jordan Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close ‘Be Someone’ sign back, thanks to self-starting college students 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

A group of up-and-coming YouTube vloggers have made their own version of Houston's famed "Be Someone" sign over Interstate 45 near downtown.

Three college students – CJ Crider, 19, Abdullah Sanaullah, 20, and Mo Raya, 21 – work collectively off of YouTube channel Princeabdullaaa. And when they saw someone blacked out the "Be Someone" sign on the Union Pacific bridge over I-45, they knew they had to do something about it.

The three bought all the painting supplies and made the trek from Clear Lake to the bridge last weekend. All three are scared of heights, they told Chron.com, but overcame their fears to make sure the sign was restored.

"It's so scary just looking (down)," Sanaullah said. "But you see Houston to your right, and you're reminded of why you're doing it."

While the words don't appear as concise as the original artist's rendition, inbound commuters now have their daily dose of Houston inspiration back.

"Everybody's constantly going past it, seeing it every single day," Sanaullah said. "A lot of people are going through a lot of pain ... it's good to see a good message up there."

The three conceded that "Be Someone" doesn't belong to them; It belongs to the original artist who painted the now-famous words on the bridge years ago, turning a routine overpass into a Houston treasure.

Look through the gallery to see how the "Be Someone" sign has changed through the years.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message