Ask Me About My Laptop Stickers

The only sticker on class senator Mihir Tadeparti ’29’s laptop is a black-and-orange “Princeton 2029” banner. When asked about whether he had trepidation displaying Princeton stickers in non-Princeton venues, he said that when visiting friends at other schools, “I’ll put a book over it or I’ll keep it in my bag … . But that’s not something I’m embarrassed of — it’s more like, I don’t want people to think that I think I’m better than them.”

Sofia Sanchez ’27 created a colorful collage. “Once I had some stickers,” she said, “I wanted to have more.” Her assortment features organizations she’s joined, like the dance group Más Flow and Cap and Gown, along with a few made by friends, including one that spells “joy” in sign language. Sofia’s twin brother, Ivan Sanchez ’27, has no stickers on his laptop; clearly the urge is not biological.

Tarun Iyengar ’28’s collection includes stickers for the School of Public and International Affairs and the German department — his major and minor, respectively — and a few gifted by his mother and sister. But he puts them on a case, not directly on his laptop.  “If I didn’t have a case,” he said, “I would not put stickers on it.”

Less is more for Naomi Segel ’28, who keeps three stickers on her laptop: one from Legal Aid DC, where she worked one summer; one from the Nassau Weekly, where she’s co-publisher; and a dainty red smiley face. “I don’t want them to clutter it,” she said.

A year and a half ago, Claire Espinosa ’27 was sitting in a meeting with University administrators when she grew self-conscious about her sticker choices — one that whimsically advertised the “Tomato Appreciation Society” seemed unprofessional to her. She removed it soon after, but a tiny speck of the tomato remains.

“I think the common theme is it’s just all things that I really love,” said Alistair Wright ’27 of his stickers. His collection includes a cartoon of a New York City bodega coffee cup, a Knicks championship sticker, a logo for his “Hungry Tiger” Instagram account, and a Princeton “P.” Laptop stickers are ideal for showing off your interests, Wright said, “because I’m on my laptop all throughout the day.”