Stories that stick
Graham Ford, Contributing Writer
All over NGU’s campus, students have stories and memories that seem to stick out and stick to.
Over the past few years, it has become more and more popular for people to cover their laptops and water bottles with stickers. There are some people who have so many stickers it is hard to tell what any of the stickers are. There are all kinds of stickers from different brands, churches, schools or organizations. Students use their stickers to decorate and personalize items. Plus, stickers can give insight about their owners.
Stickers have a certain way of telling stories and memories that people love to share with others. It is almost as if they give people ways to express their personalities. Andrew Layne, sophomore, has stickers that cover his water bottle and is very open to talking about why he has certain ones. Layne says, “I love stickers. They remind me of the things that I care about.” He uses his stickers as a way to connect with others. Layne has stickers for the summer camp that he worked at last summer, along with a sticker that he uses to share the gospel with others. One that he uses to share the gospel is a sticker depicting the three circles method. It shows three circles telling how God created the world, how man brought sin into the world and how Christ died and raised from the dead to save the world.
Noah Murphy, junior, hopped on the sticker trend because it was popular on campus. Now he uses stickers as an opportunity to promote and support organizations that he cares about. His favorite sticker on his laptop is the one he got from Crossroads summer camp. The sticker is a flamingo pool float on water with “Crossroads Summer Camp” on it. “It is my favorite because this camp was a major part of my life and I want to share that with the people around me,” said Murphy.
Something as simple as a sticker is capable of connecting people and building conversations. Both Layne and Murphy expressed that they have had several conversations about their own stickers. Most of the time, those conversations start just because someone is interested in why they have a certain sticker or the meaning behind a sticker. Layne and Murphy have both claimed they have had conversations about the camps they work at due to someone seeing their stickers. Some conversations are with friends, and some with people they hardly know.
Sometimes, there isn’t that much meaning or a cool story behind certain stickers. There are some that people have them simply because they like the design or colors. Some people have random stickers because they were given free ones. Even if a sticker isn’t free, they aren’t normally expensive, making them more appealing for students. Stickers usually range from around $2 to $10. Amazon even sells packs of random stickers for $13.99 for 800 stickers.
While students have used stickers to share stories with others, they also use them to remind themselves about their stories. Murphy shared that he has a sticker of a dog that reminds him of his favorite childhood pet. Whenever he sees this sticker, he thinks of a time where life was simpler, and he was with his dog.
Whether it be to show school spirit, express meaningful stories or support organizations, stickers allow people to personalize items to make them stand out. Everyone is different, and stickers have a neat way of showing that. And if there are stickers and/or stories someone would rather get rid of, they can use a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol to remove the sticker and that sticky residue.
Photo courtesy of Abigail Dickerson
