By: Jessie Yu
Photos by: Serena Pu
If there is one trend that transcends club, national, and socioeconomic divides at Georgetown, it is laptop stickers. Every day I see elaborately decorated laptops all around campus, ranging from typical, relatable stickers like “Help me, I’m poor” to quirky ones of “Apple” juice. I cannot be the only one who’s ever wanted to inquire about the array of colorful images stuck to my peers’ computers. Though I usually want to ask the user about these stickers, I’m not like, weird, so I don’t. However, under the guise of writing this article, I did some investigation for you guys, put myself out there, and interrogated people about their stickers. Keep reading for my breakdown of this ubiquitous Georgetown trend, and the masterminds behind the designs.
Keep it Simple
“I like having it pristine. I think it’s better in its original beauty.” – Jake Galant SFS’20.
“I don’t like the idea of having stickers being stuck on there permanently and having to take them off or scrape them off eventually.” – Roey Hadar SFS’17
“I don’t vandalize my laptop.” – Afras Sial SFS’19
Georgetown Basics
“Why do you have such a basic Georgetown laptop?” – Me
“Do I?” she laughed. “I don’t know. I actually love the whale. I’m not even joking. I only have one thing from Vineyard Vine probably, but I just love the whale. I think it’s very happy.” – Nicole Lam COL’17
The Political Persona
“I care a lot about reproductive health and basic fundamental rights. It’s a reminder to me. I wanted to put stickers I care about; these are the things I see all day long… I definitely didn’t have anything political on my laptop before November 8th , and then that changed.” – Alice Collins SFS’19
Laptop credit: Leah Thomas COL’20
“Most of my stickers I pick because they’re something that is important to me and they present causes that I care about.” She points to her favorite sticker, one that states, ‘Refugees are welcome here.’ “It’s something that a lot of people don’t like but I like it. I come from a very conservative area and a lot of people are anti-refugee where I’m from. A lot of the stickers that I have represent views that would often be opposed where I’m from.” – Leah Thomas COL’20
Group Unity or a Lowkey Cult?
“We were founded on campus 4 years ago so we’re definitely still in the process of building our brand and establishing our presence on campus. It’s fun for us to see when others have OWNIT stickers on their laptops; it’s fun to see that recognition and we definitely do get a lot of questions about it.” – Soraya Eid MSB’17
Themed Laptops
Most of Miranda Tafoya’s stickers are reminiscent of her hometown in Hawaii. She describes her turtle sticker as particularly symbolic. “This was when I went to Maui. I really love turtles and the Hawaiian word for turtles is ‘honu’ so whenever I see a turtle I think of it as good luck. So if I’m out stand up paddling with my mom or something I think it’s lucky so I like to have it on my laptop.” – Miranda Tafoya SFS’18
“I loved the little mermaid when I was little and this was where my dad grew up – Whiteface Lake Placid; it’s kind of a reminder of my family as well as a hobby.” – Anne Marie Huntington COL’19
Unique
While some trends stick out, there are many more laptops that are utterly unique. Though laptop stickers may be a common sight, you’d be hardpressed to find two designs that are exactly alike.
Laptop credit: Alexa Xylas COL’20, Alexa Xylas COL’20, Caroline Sheehan COL’20, Matthan Sutton COL’20, and Dylan Scarsone MSB’20
JESSIE YU is a sophomore in the College, studying International Relations with a minor in Business Administration. Hailing from New York City, she enjoys what her mom likes to call “grandma hobbies” such as knitting, baking, collaging, enjoying nature, and scaring people. Even so, she considers herself a “cool grandma” who advocates for women’s rights, religious freedom, and environmental conservation.
