Nydia Monroy
Clean? Messy? Boring piece of metal? Organized chaos? What do you consider your locker to be and how can it actually define you? Well, perhaps this one piece of space, limited in size, can be unlimited in the options to make it yours. It takes on more than just a role of a somewhere to shove your books. As the year passes by, it encompasses your personality, style, and becomes an area that can describe who you are.
You could chose to store as much junk and trash in it as you wish(as long as it doesn’t break a health code violation), or make it perfectly neat.
Take 9th grade. Meredith Montgomery’s locker for example. Why is it completely wrapped in tinfoil? Her birthday was Friday and her friends planned a huge surprise by making both the inside and outside of her locker Kiss themed. This portrays her really creative and humorous group of friends. Her books are stacked neatly, and yes they were also individually wrapped in tinfoil….GENIUS. Overall, from her locker, you can tell she likes to organize things, as evident by the labels that define her binders. If people run to your locker when they need a random essential, like a hair tie or an extra pencil, then you are probably some sort of perfectionist who has never been through the struggle of looking for that missing ID or that extra piece of gum you could have sworn was there two minutes ago!
Inside Sophomore Martina Piñeiro’s locker, the first thing that caught my eye was the writing decorated on the inside. I immediately thought: we can do that? I would have scribbled on mine months ago! The fact that a teacher also wrote on her locker says that she has a close relationship with the faculty. She also has little details that describe who she is, such as her Eiffel Tower magnet that implies that she takes French. If you’re the type of person who has small miscellenium in your locker, who likes scribbling all over the metal doors, or who doesn’t have to spend 10 minutes looking for a class book, then you are NOT one who likes to dabble with the messy. Someone with a locker like that says that they like to know where your stuff is so you can just get it and go in those five minutes of transition.
Lets not forget about those who prefer the mess, like 9th grader Tatiana Novak. Initially, I couldn’t help but notice the jar of Jelly Bellies and the range of other random items she had in her locker. If you keep a snack somewhere in your locker, that portrays that you’re probably the one that people ask for food (everyone has had those annoying grumbling sounds your stomach makes during class). The fact that you have snacks in your locker says you’ve probably learned your lesson and therefore MUST keep a jar of Jelly Bellies…or Kisses, maybe some gummies (whatever floats your boat and keeps your tummy from grumbling).
Now, on to 12th grade. Sarah Heilbronner’s locker made me think of all the people with funny pictures in their lockers, as I noticed she has a collage of funny cat pictures, meaning she either loves animals, or has an amazing sense of humor (probably both). Her books were hanging in the middle of her locker – talk about getting creative with storage! She also had a mirror and a whole bunch of pencils ready at hand, which says she is well prepared and knows what it’s like to be in a rush for class. I’m guessing she likes Snapple too, as I found a bottle stored in the upper compartment of her locker.
When asked to describe their lockers in one word, one typical word students used was “messy.” Sophomore Michelle Santos chose “disturbing” and Freshmen Jessica Mora and Dena Hobbs said, “busy” and “functional,” respectively. The descriptive word that was the most powerful was Freshman Zachary Li’s, who said “legendary,” which made me curious to see exactly what was in his locker. Whether it’s clean or the exact opposite, stylish or simple, do to your locker what best fits you. Fill it up with pictures, a poster of your favorite bands or artists, your favorite team’s logo, anything you want. Next time you open up your locker door, take a peek – not like a two-second glance, actually look at it. What do you think it says about you?
