Mom surprising her daughter at college ends in hilarious failure

'Look where I am!'
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A mother's surprise visit to her daughter's dorm took an embarrassing turn when she realized she was not in her daughter's dorm at all.

McKenna Pilling, an 18-year-old freshman at Utah State received a selfie from her mother on Friday.


You May Also Like

"Look where I am!" a follow up text read, "where are you?"

McKenna's mother, Deanna, traveled from New York to surprise her daughter and help her move out of college for the summer. Except she accidentally entered the wrong dorm room.


"Where's that?" McKenna asked her mom, informing her that she was in her own dorm.  

The it hit her. 

"Please tell me you're not in someone else's dorm," Mckenna texted her mother.

Yep. Yes, she was indeed in someone else's dorm, laying on their bed, snapping selfies. 


Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable


"She waited there for about five minutes and decided to lay down in the bed and take a selfie to surprise me. Turns out, I was in my own room," McKenna explained in a message to Mashable.

"She went to a different room which was all packed up for summer so it looked like it could've been my dorm," said McKenna. 

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Now, McKenna explains that the room her mother was in was in her building, so she wasn't that far off, and she's taking the whole thing well. 

"She just laughs about going viral, she doesn't even have Facebook so she's freaking out," said McKenna.

As for the mystery dorm room, the girl had no clue her classmate's mother was laying on her bed. Not until the photo went viral and she recognized her pillowcase anyways.


Bonus: Can you find the potato in this sea of hamsters?

[h/t:BuzzFeed]

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
How to watch college basketball without cable
Cameron Boozer of the Duke Blue Devils


Best birthday gift ideas for women
illustration of a wrapped birthday present

'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' review: 'Game of Thrones' prequel is a surprising comfort watch
Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

'Scream' 7 trailer: Ghostface targets Sidney and her daughter
Ghostface in "Scream 7."

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!