What Our Laptop Stickers Say About Us
By Lydia Hurley
October 14, 2021
Since the dawn of the personal computer, personalizing our laptops have been a significant form of creativity and self-expression. Whether it is a cool case, keyboard, cover or a multitude of stickers, every laptop owner has their own way of expressing themselves through decorating.
Here at the University of Maryland, many students have well-decorated, unique laptops. We talked to some students about what their stickers mean to them. Their stickers are not only a way to express their interests, but also serve as an unexpected conversation starter!
Here at the University of Maryland, many students have well-decorated, unique laptops. We talked to some students about what their stickers mean to them. Their stickers are not only a way to express their interests, but also serve as an unexpected conversation starter!
Image Credit: Lydia Hurley for The Campus Trainer
This is the laptop of Grace Blanco, a sophomore biology major from Silver Spring, MD. Blanco curated her laptop with stickers that she has collected over time.
“It makes me happy to see all these little items because I like to collect small things, and this is like a flat collection. So it’s a reflection of me, and it also just looks very nice,” Blanco said.
Blanco has a Slytherin sticker from a bookstore in Bethany Beach, DE, to match with her best friend, Catie. Blanco also has a Star Wars Empire sticker, as she is an avid Star Wars fan.
Blanco is also a big fan of Harry Styles, so she has a great smattering of stickers, including ones referencing two Harry Styles songs: “Watermelon Sugar” and “Treat People With Kindness.”
She has many space and science-themed stickers to represent her love for science and caring for the Earth. “This is a moon sticker my environmental teacher, Mrs. Robertson, gave to me in my senior year of high school. I love that woman. She gave me so many nice things,” Blanco said.
Mrs. Robertson also gave Grace her NASA, “please recycle” and Bill Nye stickers.
Her last two stickers are also from her high school. One is an “Our Minds Matter Sticker” and the other is a “No Place For Hate” sticker, representing a club where Blanco was a committee member in high school.
“It makes me happy to see all these little items because I like to collect small things, and this is like a flat collection. So it’s a reflection of me, and it also just looks very nice,” Blanco said.
Blanco has a Slytherin sticker from a bookstore in Bethany Beach, DE, to match with her best friend, Catie. Blanco also has a Star Wars Empire sticker, as she is an avid Star Wars fan.
Blanco is also a big fan of Harry Styles, so she has a great smattering of stickers, including ones referencing two Harry Styles songs: “Watermelon Sugar” and “Treat People With Kindness.”
She has many space and science-themed stickers to represent her love for science and caring for the Earth. “This is a moon sticker my environmental teacher, Mrs. Robertson, gave to me in my senior year of high school. I love that woman. She gave me so many nice things,” Blanco said.
Mrs. Robertson also gave Grace her NASA, “please recycle” and Bill Nye stickers.
Her last two stickers are also from her high school. One is an “Our Minds Matter Sticker” and the other is a “No Place For Hate” sticker, representing a club where Blanco was a committee member in high school.
Image Credit: Lydia Hurley for The Campus Trainer
This is sophomore Ellie Quinn’s laptop. Quinn is an aerospace engineering major from Kensington, MD.
Quinn has collected her stickers from places on campus, Redbubble and from different places she has traveled.
First, she has a sticker that says “Banner: Carried. Day: Seized. Poor Guy’s Head: Spinning.” “I was really, really into Newsies like a year ago, so I got one to reflect that,” she said.
Quinn also has a white lotus sticker, which is a reference to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. “I watched that show when I was really young, and then I rewatched it recently. I think it’s a really good show, and I really love it,” Quinn said.
“I also have one [sticker] referencing Michael [a godlike character] from The Good Place. It says ‘birth is a curse and existence is a prison’ because I think it’s something that most college students can relate to. So I like to have that little reminder that even one of the most powerful beings in the world can relate to me, so that’s pretty fun,” Quinn said.
Quinn also has a series of cat stickers, with the first being one from Mackinac Island, MI. The second is a wavy black cat sticker, which she bought when she visited Salem, MA. “I got this one for my sister and me because we have a black cat,” Quinn said.
The last section of stickers relates to space and the stars, which Quinn’s studies revolve around. She has a sticker of a purple star, the planets and a sticker from Woman in Aeronautics and Astronautics, a club here on campus. “With this sticker, I wanted to show that I myself am a woman in STEM,” Quinn said.
"I tried to get things that really reflect all different parts of my personality. Personally, I just think it's important to make things feel like they're yours. Because if you're gonna be seeing something or using something every day. You don't want it to feel boring and monotonous, so even if it can give you some little spark of joy to see it,” she said.
Quinn has collected her stickers from places on campus, Redbubble and from different places she has traveled.
First, she has a sticker that says “Banner: Carried. Day: Seized. Poor Guy’s Head: Spinning.” “I was really, really into Newsies like a year ago, so I got one to reflect that,” she said.
Quinn also has a white lotus sticker, which is a reference to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. “I watched that show when I was really young, and then I rewatched it recently. I think it’s a really good show, and I really love it,” Quinn said.
“I also have one [sticker] referencing Michael [a godlike character] from The Good Place. It says ‘birth is a curse and existence is a prison’ because I think it’s something that most college students can relate to. So I like to have that little reminder that even one of the most powerful beings in the world can relate to me, so that’s pretty fun,” Quinn said.
Quinn also has a series of cat stickers, with the first being one from Mackinac Island, MI. The second is a wavy black cat sticker, which she bought when she visited Salem, MA. “I got this one for my sister and me because we have a black cat,” Quinn said.
The last section of stickers relates to space and the stars, which Quinn’s studies revolve around. She has a sticker of a purple star, the planets and a sticker from Woman in Aeronautics and Astronautics, a club here on campus. “With this sticker, I wanted to show that I myself am a woman in STEM,” Quinn said.
"I tried to get things that really reflect all different parts of my personality. Personally, I just think it's important to make things feel like they're yours. Because if you're gonna be seeing something or using something every day. You don't want it to feel boring and monotonous, so even if it can give you some little spark of joy to see it,” she said.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Colleen Rogers
This is Colleen Rogers’ laptop. Rogers is a sophomore engineering major from Cockeysville, MD.
Colleen has a variety of stickers that she has collected from places she has traveled, around campus and ones that represent her personal and cultural interests.
“The first says love, but where the O is supposed to be is the Earth. It's modeled after the famous statue in Philly that has the heart where the O was supposed to be,” Rogers said. She got the sticker from a record store in Fells Point, Baltimore to symbolize her passion for sustainability and the environment.
Rogers has a variety of stickers from Maryland’s Honors Humanities and the Engineering school to show-off her academic pursuits.
“Another one I have is a heart that says feminism is rad. This one is from Redbubble. I like feminism, and I'm passionate about that. I also have one that has Rosie the Riveter on it and says ‘We Can Do It,’” said Rogers.
“I have a sticker front that says ‘hon!’. And it's like the outline of the whole beehive hairdo thing, which is iconic in Baltimore. It ties into my passions because I am from Baltimore and I'm proud of where I'm from,” said Rogers.
Her last sticker is from the singer Declan McKenna, which says “You Were Born to be an Astronaut.” “That is a line from a Declan McKenna song. And it's one of my favorite songs of his. And I'm very passionate about music, and he's one of my favorite artists,” Rogers said.
“I take my laptop [with me] every day. So I want to make it something that I enjoy looking at, and I enjoy looking at things that reflect my interests,” she said.
Colleen has a variety of stickers that she has collected from places she has traveled, around campus and ones that represent her personal and cultural interests.
“The first says love, but where the O is supposed to be is the Earth. It's modeled after the famous statue in Philly that has the heart where the O was supposed to be,” Rogers said. She got the sticker from a record store in Fells Point, Baltimore to symbolize her passion for sustainability and the environment.
Rogers has a variety of stickers from Maryland’s Honors Humanities and the Engineering school to show-off her academic pursuits.
“Another one I have is a heart that says feminism is rad. This one is from Redbubble. I like feminism, and I'm passionate about that. I also have one that has Rosie the Riveter on it and says ‘We Can Do It,’” said Rogers.
“I have a sticker front that says ‘hon!’. And it's like the outline of the whole beehive hairdo thing, which is iconic in Baltimore. It ties into my passions because I am from Baltimore and I'm proud of where I'm from,” said Rogers.
Her last sticker is from the singer Declan McKenna, which says “You Were Born to be an Astronaut.” “That is a line from a Declan McKenna song. And it's one of my favorite songs of his. And I'm very passionate about music, and he's one of my favorite artists,” Rogers said.
“I take my laptop [with me] every day. So I want to make it something that I enjoy looking at, and I enjoy looking at things that reflect my interests,” she said.