What’s In Your Backpack?
Brooke Gambello ’28 has plenty of gum in her backpack.
Out of all the stickers on your laptop, which one is the most “you”?
I honestly don’t care about any of them that much. My dad has this thing where if he sees a sticker and a computer, he HAS to stick it on or he’ll explode probably. So he did it to me once so I just kept going with it. If I had to pick [one], probably the American flag because I’m American.
What’s the one thing in your backpack that has absolutely no business still being there?
My face moisturizer. It’s only in there because I had it in my overnight bag for when I volunteer at the rescue squad in my town and it’s overnight, but I was using my sister’s bag. She got mad at me and threw all my stuff on my floor and took the bag back to college and I didn’t feel like finding a new place for it yet, so I just stuck it in my school bag.
You have so much gum, what’s your most controversial gum opinion?
I think the orange-flavored gum is the best one. I don’t remember the exact name. I think it actually might just be “orange”, but it’s the best one. Ironically, I don’t have any right now, but peppermint is second best.
What is the most random thing in your backpack that you genuinely cannot explain?
The nail clipper. I genuinely have no idea why that’s something I’m carrying on me. I hate when people have dirty nails so maybe that correlates?
If you had to remove everything from your backpack except five things, what survives?
Depends. If everything else is getting incinerated and I can only save five things, it would be my Bible, computer, headphones, glasses, and calculator.
What’s one thing you carry every day despite almost never using it?
My dry shampoo bottle. You can’t even really tell what it is anymore because the label is so scratched off. It honestly could be expired. My mom used to use that dry shampoo in like 2019 and then she switched over to the spray one. And we just sorta had it in our kitchen and there’s been times when I’ve wished I had dry shampoo at school. So I took it, but it’s one of those special-case-scenario things.
Why are there random coins in your backpack? Are we saving for something or just slowly building a bank?
I always carry coins with me in case I see a fountain. Whenever I see a fountain, I have to throw a coin in, so I always need coins on me.
You have a Bible in here, which is probably one of the more unexpected backpack items. Do you carry it with you every day?
Most days, especially days I have a free, because I try to read a little scripture everyday because it’s important to me. I run a Bible study at my church in Westfield, Saint Helens, which is welcome to anyone on Thursdays at 7:00.
What’s the one thing in here that says the most about you without you having to explain it?
Probably my Bible or my notebooks. The Bible is self explanatory, but all my notebooks have the grid lining because I didn’t read when I was buying them. So I have to use the grid for all my classes, which is kinda annoying but it’s on me for not double checking.
What item in here would you defend with your life?
My glasses. I have awful eyesight, but I’ve always been scared to wear them because they look like blue light glasses and I feel performative. But then I realized I just have to suck it up and wear them because squinting so much will give me hella wrinkles.
What’s something you always think you’re going to need, so you bring it everywhere, but never actually use?
My Fredrick Douglass book; Mr. Keating talks a lot.
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Photo credit: Chris Birrittella '28