More than just an object

“Most of them are from people and places,” says freshman Emma Mamis as she held up a collection of bracelets on her wrist. “This one is from a little town in Spain,” she said, pointing to a bracelet given to her by her friend. “And this one says ‘dance’ on it because I like to dance,” she says, pointing to another.

We all have that certain object we have a strong sentimental attachment to, whether it be a teddy bear, a baby blanket, a trophy, or even something completely unexpected. Many Aragon students have objects like these that they consider to an irreplaceable part of their lives and are willing to share.

Freshman Sarah Mark acquired her sentimental object when she was just a baby. Mark’s biological mother gave her a stuffed panda bear before putting her up for adoption as a “kind of parting gift.” Mark says that the bear is “one of [her] only memories of [her biological mother].” Mark also remembers her mother through a few letters she keeps from her.

Junior Sammy Shufton also developed his connection with his most cherished object when he was born. Shufton described his blanket “Blankie” as a soft white blanket that never leaves his bed. “If I lost it, I’d probably cry for a long time and probably punch something,” says Shufton. “I keep it in my bed where I know it’ll be safe.”

For many, it is the relation to a special person that makes an item so significant. Junior Nick Tom, for instance, treasures a toy rocket ship that his grandfather gave to him when he was in kindergarten. In what Tom described as a “spaz moment” last year, he nearly dropped the rocket, but was lucky enough to save it in time before it hit the ground.

Junior Kathryn Miyahira also treasures an item related to a relative, who passed away earlier this year. It is an accordion that had previously belonged to her great-grandfather. “He lived in San Francisco, so he thought he was Italian, even though he was really Irish, so he bought an accordion,” says Miyahira. Her family sometimes tries to play the accordion in remembrance of her great-grandfather, who she says played the accordion well.

“My sentimental object is an abalone shell that was carved by my great-grandma in Hawaii,” junior Eric Neketin says. He has had the abalone shell for “as long as [he] can remember” and now wears it around his neck everyday. Neketin said his great-grandmother had a fondness for travel and that “she lived in Hawaii for a part of her life, and she also lived in Egypt”, and adds that it is part of why the shell means so much to him.

For students, the deeper the connection to the object, the more frightening the idea of losing it is. Sophomore Kyra Fung has had her stuffed panda bear since she was three, and says her mother once tried to get rid of it, along with one of her other stuffed animals, when she was only four. “I’ve had it through everything, like my moves and my parents’ divorce,” says Fung. She says that since the near loss of her bear, she has been especially protective of it.

Other students value objects that symbolize their passions. For example, sophomore Brendan McGinnis described his skateboard as being his most cherished possession. Junior Jonathan Pan, who plays music, said the music box he received from his grandmother six years ago “inspired” him to begin playing music.

Sophomore Ashley Lentz has a replica of a uniform worn by Julie Foudy, an Olympic gold medal-winning soccer player. Lentz’s mother gave her the uniform when she first began playing soccer eight years ago. Lentz had the uniform signed by Julie Foudy herself when she met her at soccer camp, and now displays the uniform on her wall.

Junior Summer Kang takes value in an object that she is proud of, a giraffe she made last summer. “I made it out of tape and put paper mache on top of it, and then I painted it,” she said, adding “it’s sentimental because I really enjoyed the art class I took for it, and I really like [the giraffe].”

From toy rockets to accordions, and abalone shells to “blankies”, it seems that most Aragon students have something that they hold dear. While the shape and origin of each student’s treasured item varies, their sentimental value represents a universal feeling of significance and meaning.