Everyone whether they know it or not has an item of value. An item that they hold closer to them than anything else. But for many, it’s not the monetary value of an item that makes it priceless—its true value is based on the intention behind the item. It doesn’t matter what the item is, but the idea behind it. These deeply personal connections often turn ordinary objects into extraordinary treasures.
“My most valuable items are my grandfather’s watch and necklace,” junior Patrick Gillego said. “My dad gave it to me about a year or two ago because he can no longer wear them. I wear the necklace everyday as a symbol of protection and safety because it makes me feel closer to God as it is a cross necklace. When I’m wearing it I feel like I’m safe from all dangers and harm, and that I have my family with me. And for the watch I wear it everytime I go to church because it’s tradition to wear nice jewelry in the house of god. These items are special to me because they make me feel connected to my grandfather. I never met him, he actually passed away almost a year before I was born. For my parents to say that I was like him even though I never met him and only knowing him through pictures and items, really gives me a special connection to him that he’s able to watch me and see me grow even though he’s gone.”
“My most valuable item is a blue blanket with snowflakes,” sophomore Dailine Luna said. “When I was born my grandma went to the store with my mom. I’m not sure what store, but they were stocking up on baby stuff: and as soon as I was born my mom made sure to wrap me up in the blanket. This item is special to me because my grandma gave it to me. My grandma means everything to me, and if I could talk to anyone about anything it’d be my grandma. She plays a big part in my life. My mom worked a lot when I was a kid, so most of the time I was with my grandma. My grandma is like a second mother figure to me, and if anything were to happen to her I would break down. I still make sure to go to sleep with it because it means so much to me. My grandma is still alive and well, but she lives very far away and it reminds me a lot of her and the memories we have together.”
“It’s a photo of my late grandfather who passed away about 10 years ago,” junior Luis Larrazabal said.“It’s not really mine but my moms. I had it in my room for awhile, but I decided to hang it up in the hallway so everyone could see it. I personally don’t remember much from him, but the stories my mom tells me are very inspiring. He was a very hard-working person, he grew up very poor. And he often had to sell things and go to work just to buy basic school supplies. He was doing as much as he could just to get a basic education, so I think that’s what motivates me to stay in school. Because sometimes you don’t appreciate what you have, when others would like to be in your place. Everytime I wake up and go into the hallways I see the photo. I still see him, in some sort of way I still see him everyday, but just not in the way I wish for it to be. I really wish I could thank him because he went through so much adversity at a young age, and he kept pushing forward. Without him I wouldn’t be here, so I think it’s really inspiring that despite everything he went through he never gave up and always had a positive outlook on things. He was a very religious man who wanted the best for his family, who gave it his all for his family.”
“My valuable item is my Sony XM5 Headphones,” junior Alexavier Vazquez said. “Over the summer I decided that I wanted to get these headphones, so I got a job just so I could buy them for myself. I listen to music almost every day and they’ve kinda basically grown on me, I barely take them off, music is a big part of my life, I use them everyday. I was really happy when I finally got it because it was something that I really wanted for a long time. It took a long time to save the money to buy them. It’s special to me because it showed me how to save my money, so I can get the things that I want. The fact that I had to save and spend the money that I worked for just to get it, made me appreciate it so much more.”
“My valuable item is a homemade booklet that my older sister made for me when I was just born,” junior Lauren Alaniz said. “The booklet is special to me because it was given to me by my older sister who passed away. It helps me keep a part of her with me when I have nothing left of her. I use it as a reminder of her, of our relationship. I also use it to remind myself that I belong where I am and it reminds me of who I am and what I came from. She was a role model and still continues to be my role model, even if I don’t get to see her, and she doesn’t get to see what I’ve become.”
“My most valuable item would probably be my bass guitar,“ senior Isaac John said. “It’s special to me because my dad bought it for me, even though it was really expensive. As a kid I used to be mad at my dad because he rarely spent time with me, but then I realized he was really busy with life and had a lot of other things going on. My dad plays a part in my life as an inspiration to work hard. He came to America and he worked hard and got this far, and now it’s my turn to do the same. As I got older I learned to love and respect him more. The fact that he saw my passion and invested in it is a really big thing to me. When he was a kid he didn’t have the opportunity to play an instrument, and he always tells me how wishes he learned how to play an instrument. His passing down that passion for an instrument is something I like to hold near and dear to my heart, so that maybe someday I can teach him how to play an instrument when the time comes.”
“My most valuable item is a snowglobe with a picture of my mom in it,” senior Nia Townsend said. “A couple years before my parents divorced, my family and I went to Sea World, and while we were there we took a group photo. After their divorce, I found the photo and cut-out my mom to keep for later. In 2018, I went to a Christmas event, and one of the things they were selling was a snow globe. I was thinking about what to do with it because it has a slot where you can put a picture, and I decided to put the photo in there, and ever since then it’s been kept in that snow globe. My mom plays a part in my life basically everyday. Whether it be me calling her every so often to check in with her, or her motivating me with school and work. Sometimes I’ll call her to vent, and she’ll make me feel better and remind me of what’s important. When my parents first divorced, it was really tough because all my friends had both parents, and they made fun of me calling me the kid with no mom. She reminded me that even though her and my dad are divorced, she’s always going to be my mom. After I found that photo of her, I’ve kept it safe all this time because it’s one of the things that I have left of her when my parents were together. A time I consider myself to be truly happy.”
“My valuable item is a small jewelry box that my grandma gave to me, ” senior Giselle Gallardo said. “I keep it on my dresser right next to my bed, so I see it every time I wake up, and I keep my important jewelry in here, especially my earrings that I use everyday. I have a little cross in there, and every morning I say a small prayer and hold up the cross. I got it at my quinceañera when I turned 15. My grandma gave this to me which was passed down from her grandma who got it from her grandma, it’s been passed down for four generations now. It’s special to me because I think turning 15 is really significant in a Latino household; it signifies becoming a woman, growing up, and a sign that you’re about to face adult life. It was nice that I finally got acknowledged as someone mature. The fact that my grandma gave it to me, even though she’s not the most sentimental woman, meant so much to me. When she gave it to me I cried. I cried because me and my grandma used to not have that close of a bond, but after she gave this to me, there was much more of a connection between us. We understood each other a lot more. My grandma now plays a huge part in my life. I visit her at least once or twice a week. If I don’t see her, it puts me in a bad mood. She’s just such an important person in my life, and without my grandma my life wouldn’t be the same.”
