By Eduardo Zermeno in College Days, Feature Story, Student Life on May 11, 2024
Students share some of their favorite items and stories about how they came across these interesting purchases
Have you ever looked at something online or something your friend owned, and thought, “Wow, that’s really cool. How did I not think of that?” A few Ripon students shared those belongings and told the story behind why they even thought to buy these items.
Ripon students come from various backgrounds and different parts of the country. Students were eager to share the odd quirks and features that decorate their dorms.
Ella Clark, a freshman, has many different items to jazz up her dorm, but one of her favorite items is…buddy door stoppers?
“My mom showed me them on Amazon and I thought they were really cute. Door stoppers are normally so boring, so these little men stoppers help to keep the door open and liven up the mood,” she said.
Some students love to carry their heritage with them however they can, whether it is through music, cuisine, or special items they bring with them to school whether that be music or cuisine. Jose Alvarez, freshman, tells more about a cultural item he treasures.
“I bought a molcajete because I always loved when my mom made salsas or guacamole using this mortar and pestle. I wanted to continue making food with the molcajete while I’m here,” said Alvarez
Alvarez also specified what makes his molcajete special and what he does to maintain it.
“Authentic molcajetes are made from volcanic rock, so that’s what I looked for when buying one. I made sure there were imperfections in the molcajete–that told me it was the real deal. To take care of it, I season it with salt and garlic and I don’t wash it with soap because that ruins the preparation of the molcajete,” he said
First-year student Tyler Hebein plays his guitar in his dorm. Photo Courtesy of Eduardo Zermeno.
Alvarez makes guacamole and salsas for his friends on occasion to make sure that he gets the proper use out of his molcajete and makes some of his favorite side dishes!
Tyler Hebein, a freshman, also shares his prized possession, which also happens to be connected to his favorite hobby.
“I just traded one of my guitars for a Jackson Stratocaster in all white with black accents. I saw the chance to my B.C. Rich Warcaster for the Stratocaster and I jumped at the opportunity. It’s my favorite guitar but it’s a pain to tune because I need to unscrew the pegs,” he said.
Hebein also detailed how he came about guitars in the first place.
“I got into playing guitars around 2 years ago because I like to keep busy and I wanted to pick up a hobby. I always loved guitar solos from rock bands like Guns N Roses and Pantera, so I tried emulating that style of play,” he said.
“After a while, I started adding guitars to my collection, and now I trade guitars and find newer ones all the time. My dream guitar is a Dean Dime-O-Flame guitar, named after the guitarist for Pantera, Dimebag Darrell.”
These are just some of the few prized possessions of students on campus, and there are many more items that people would love to know about.
If you have any interesting items, feel free to send a picture to us on the College Days account on Instagram @riponcollegedays!