I’ve recently noticed that guys seem to be getting into perfume, skincare and even putting noticeable effort into decorating their dorm rooms in college. Having come from a boarding high school, I thought I had a good sense of what to expect in a teenage boys’ dorm room: a container of some sort for snacks, a carpet, occasionally LEDs and maybe some scattered posters or figurines. So when and why did this transformation to organization and aesthetic intentionality occur? 

To me, dorm decorations are not just for aesthetics and to create a comfortable living space, it also encapsulates a personality. I suppose that some guys (and girls) have taken advantage of the summer after high school to reinvent themselves, presenting new versions of who they are for the first time during NSO room tours. Broadly speaking, maybe we all possess this desire to give visitors a glimpse of ourselves through what we choose to “display.” 

I don’t mean this in merely a performative sense, where the sole purpose is to impress with something that possesses material value or signifies achievement. The things I put up around my room are little pieces of my life I want to keep close because they remind me of where I come from, the people I hold dear and what I value.

There’s a collection of keychains hanging from the wall that remind me of my friends. Over the past few years, I have received more keychains than I have bags to put them on — hence this collection. I figured people like gifting keychains because these little dangly things are physically carried around and even make noises to grab attention. Since they want to be thought of, hopefully my friends approve of how I’m putting them to use.

If you’ve ever taken AP Art History, you would recognize elements of the pieces you’ve studied scattered throughout the room: a magnet of the Delphic Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel, my Smiskis Museum Series collection, a miniature print of Paul Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victore, some Japanese Ukioy-e postcards, etc. Each piece brings back astonishing moments of visiting art museums and landmarks around the world.

And there’s my matcha and coffee cart! Though I’m not super proud of my caffeine addiction, I will always be a proud tea party host. Caffeine to stay up late studying or catching up is on me.

Right above are my plane ticket and pin collections from more side-hustles and adventures. 

My high school banner and teddy bear are also hard to miss. I loved my four years in high school and am still extremely grateful for how it has shaped me in every imaginable way.

Compared to my high school room, the current setup has more traces of my travels abroad. I like to think that this “reinventing” process doesn’t mean becoming someone entirely new, but rather making small, intentional choices about the person we want to be. It’s similar to how we all set aspirational yet attainable goals for ourselves, then find ways to keep ourselves accountable to them. I come to college with the intention of traveling to more destinations beyond where I have already set foot. Maybe it is this desire to keep modifying and becoming that brought us all here in the first place.