June 10, 2019

What Stanford seniors leave behind: Memories for the time capsule

Rubber duckies, photos, toys, class assignments – the seemingly mundane items Stanford seniors leave in their class time capsule hold treasured personal meaning and memories.

By Linda A. Cicero

Following a tradition that dates to 1896, graduating seniors place treasured items and their associated memories in a time capsule buried beneath their class plaque in the arcades of the Main Quad. Evoking personal growth, memories of achievements, cultural touchstones and in-jokes among friends, things left behind by the Class of 2019 include photos, ID cards, class assignments, stickers, Unicorn Snot, notes to the future and a student’s letter to her late dad, who didn’t live to see his daughter graduate on Father’s Day.

Seniors gathered May 29 at the Alumni Center for the Senior Class Last Happy Hour, where they were able to bring items for the time capsule. The capsule will be placed under the ’19 plaque in the Main Quad on Friday, June 14, between 10 a.m. and noon.

University Photographer Linda Cicero captured images of some of the graduating seniors with the things they leave behind representing the memories they will carry always.

Dorian Lumarque gives up a photo taken at Roble at the end of his freshman year.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Anna Widder leaves one of the hand-crafted wire flowers she makes for her friends.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Senior Adam AbuShaer leaves his chemistry ducky.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Geraldine Millos-Lopez leaves a Virgin de Guadalupe Christmas ornament.
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Wyatt Mullen puts a tiny rubber ducky into the time capsule.

Alyssa Mike leaves a little box of notes, a picture of her and her boyfriend, and a friendship bracelet from a roommate.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Sweethearts Kyle Kinnie and Carolyn Manion leave an empty chocolate tin from the chocolates they learned to love together when they were both at Stanford in Berlin.
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Virginia Drummond drops in some stickers of her own design.
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Khaled Aounallam leaves a Hoover Institution ID card. He says it “shows how much effort goes into doing research at a research institution. My face on the ID says everything.”
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Aubrey Kingston, Hannah Williams, Kristina Beck and Lewis Buenrostro. — Holding the fuel grains for a rocket motor they will leave in the time capsule are, from top left, Aubrey Kingston and Hannah Williams, at bottom left, Kristina Beck and Lewis Buenrostro.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Ben Gaiarin donates a menu from a dinner he hosted and a sheet of notes from a class.
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Lena Zlock tosses in a bottle of Tajín, a spicy seasoning.
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Adrian Vega leaves a hat he bought after the 2016 election.
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Computer science major Sona Allahverdiyava leaves behind a photograph of her hand, symbolizing the importance of the “hand of man” in computing.
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Tom Karlis and Ben Snyder — Tom Karlis, left, and Ben Snyder leave a set of their Bay to Breakers participant medals from all 4 years.
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Ali Anglin, the DJ known as Blasfemmeous, leaves one of her stickers in the capsule.
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Frank Buncom with a joker playing card — Frank Buncom leaves an autographed playing card from the commemorative deck he received from the Mayfield Fellows Progam for prospective tech leaders.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Shannon Coffee, having broken her nose in an early game, leaves a mask in which she played most of the basketball season.
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A poster from *Gaieties* signed by the cast is the donation from Ian Hodge.
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Meicy Hui leaves behind a 1 cent RMB note from China. The 1953 bill is no longer in circulation.
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Akshay Jaggi, a member of Basmati Raas, leaves a dandiya stick he used in Garba Raas, a traditional Indian dance.
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Tiffany McKenzie leaves behind a letter written to her dad who passed away at the end of 2017. She says her commencement is her Father’s Day gift to him.
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Conner Ghirardo leaves a guitar pick from Chi Alpha, a Christian club at Stanford.
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Jacqueline Vertino leaves a “piece of home” in the form of a tiny Mexican clay turtle.
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Taylor Merkel, Celine Gandingco, Miranda Vogt, and Ashi Agrawal — Clockwise from top, Taylor Merkel, Celine Gandingco, Miranda Vogt and Ashi Agrawal hold a cutout photo of Dr. Greger that they used to prank one another with for 4 years.
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Raleigh Browne leaves a note to the citizens of the future.
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Arianna Tapia leaves behind a Stanford Dollie dress from the 2016-17 year because “my Dollie year was the most formative year I had at Stanford in which I grew into the person I think I’m supposed to become – quirky, happy-go-lucky and goofy.”

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Lucas Ramos leaves some movie passes to commemorate his time spent at the cinema.
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Gabriela Romero, editor of *Herodotus,* leaves a copy for posterity.
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Isaac Goldstein leaves a tube of glitter, aka Unicorn Snot.
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Nicolette Grabiec, Vivian Xiao and Chloe Thai hold a postcard from Calico Cards, a senior capstone project in Product Design.
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Nicolas Peña leaves an inscribed wine cork that represents his friends and the good times they spent at Stanford.
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Alex Akesson and Anne-Marie Hwang — For the last 4 years Alex Akesson used his spinner to de-stress and Anne-Marie Hwang used her LED lamp to light the way when bicycling.

Celine Gandingco, a psych major, leaves a model of a brain to symbolize what brought her to Stanford and what she is taking away.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Brendan Edelson leaves his short story from an English 90 class assignment.
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Crystal Zheng leaves her tiny pink panda hydro-flask.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero