Everyone has something in their life that holds a special meaning. A gift from a loved one, a lucky charm or even just a t-shirt. These objects are different for all people and bring a different meaning to each person. When you think of a prized possession, what do you think of? A baseball card from your dad? A broach from your grandmother? A shell to remember a fun day? For these high schoolers, sentiment comes from more unconventional items.

For Chanel Vidal ’17, a simple rock from a study brought to her a future she would have never imagined. “I have this really cool rock! Its black and glossy and I found it during my first deployment with NASA,” said Vidal.

Excitement towards science had always been apparent in Vidal’s life which has led to many adventures and new studies. Last year Vidal joined the BASALT project by NASA. This included Vidal traveling to Hawaii in order to study rocks and how they compare to rocks on Mars. “The rock symbolizes my burning passion for geology and space. I would have never guessed I’d want to major in geology,” said Vidal. This passion has led to Vidal to working with the NASA FINESSE and traveling all the way to India to give lectures. “[NASA] has helped me create a concrete career goal. Whenever I see that rock, its a reminder that every day is a step towards [achieving] my dreams.

Prized possessions come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as small as a rock or a big as a boat.. “My lucky boat’s name is Hawks, since I’m on the Hawks rowing team and I always use it when I row,” said Haley Shook ’18. Being a competitive rower, a strong and fast boat is very important. For Shook, this boat brings luck to each race. “Without it [Hawks], I feel like the race is jinxed. It helps me win,” said Shook.

Some prized possessions bring a way to relieve stress. For Cole McKillip ’17, his favorite guitar has helped him through the good times and the bad. “my prized possession is my Hondo Les Paul style guitar. It was actually my

uncle’s first electric guitar so he passed it down to me,” said McKillip. Spending over $100 to fix the strings, the guitar seems to have a healing power over McKillip “Whenever I am sad or anxious or mad, I just plug it into the amp and let my feelings come out through my fingers and the tones of the guitar.” said McKillip. Through the death of a family member to getting into the top choir at school, his guitar is always there for him.

The feeling of safety is something everyone desires. For Aidan Yamashita ’19, protection comes from a simple necklace. ““He’s [St. Christopher] the saint of traveling. It was an Easter present from my mom and when I went to California it felt like a good luck charm to have,” said Yamashita. The necklace is something Yamashita wears everyday as it brings him good luck. “Its special to me because it makes me feel safe when I wear because it’s kind of a good luck charm too,” said Yamashita. Good luck can come from almost everything. The meaning behind sentimental objects can bring zen, happiness and excitement to peoples lives as well as a feeling of comfort.