My Favorite Things: Unpacking What the Class of 2030 Brought to Campus

At move-in day last week, as Babson College’s newest students settled into their new lives, they brought with them many boxes and bags.

Their belongings included heaps of clothes, shoes, and mini fridges, but also other things, special things, things steeped in memory and connection, serving as reminders of the people, pets, and places they left behind.

Rico Wang ’30 of Seattle brought her teddy bear. Long ago, her mother sewed Wang’s name inside the ear of the bear, and Wang likes to run her fingers along the stitches. “It makes me think of my mom and my home,” she said.

Drew Mullaney ’30 of Boxford, Massachusetts, brought along a painted portrait of Finn, his family’s dog who recently passed away. An English golden retriever, Finn was easy going and liked to be around people. “He was my childhood dog,” Mullaney said.

Suranya Sehgal ’30 brought a blanket from her home country of India. The blanket is blue and soft. “I have had blankets like this my whole life,” said the Mumbai resident. “You snuggle with it, and it is the most comfortable blanket ever.”

For many of Babson’s newest students, this is the first time they are living away from home, a bittersweet fact that makes these mementos so meaningful. A new chapter is beginning, but they can’t forget about where they’ve been. That’s why Rhode Island’s Mackenzie Bell ’30 made sure to pack plenty of pictures of family and friends.

“Since I am moving away, I can have a part of them with me in college,” Bell said. “I’ll probably tape them all over the walls. These pictures are really important.”

The Stories Behind the Items

Ask members of the Class of 2030 to tell you about the cherished items they’ve brought to campus, and they’ll tell you wistful stories filled with love, good times, and significance.

Emmie Steinrotter ’30 of Potsdam, New York, brought a sign from a hometown restaurant, Jake’s on the Water, where she had worked as a hostess. Everyone at the restaurant had signed it. “It never felt like I was going to work,” Steinrotter said. “It felt like I was going to spend time with people I liked hanging out with.”

Kevin Nguyen ’30 of Bethesda, Maryland, came to campus with a whimsical painting made by his younger sister, Kayla. The painting, of a dog with glasses using a pencil to write, encourages him to study, Nguyen said.

Norris Sun ’30 of Aurora, Colorado, packed two things that speak to his family and who he is. “First thing I brought is a bunch of my rosaries,” he said. “They kind of serve as a North Star for me to always remember the values that I want to uphold.” Sun routinely carries a few rosaries with him, and if he meets someone who influenced him, or someone who’s in need, he gives them one.

The second beloved item Sun brought was an old pair of trousers from his grandfather. The custom-made beige and white pinstriped pants are double pleated and fit Sun like a glove. “He had them when he was back in Macau,” Sun said. “They are one of my favorite things to wear.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, stuffed animals, and all the comfort and nostalgia they evoke, were a common sight on move-in day. From Johannesburg, Zaawi Motlekar ’30 brought two stuffed animals: Bunny and Ellie the Elephant. “I tend to not be able to sleep well without them,” she said. From Miami, Valeria Jimenez-Maydon ’30 brought a cadre of stuffed animals, including a stuffed Scottish Highlands cow from her friend, a stuffed rabbit from her boyfriend, and a well-worn and well-loved small lamb. “I’ve had this since I was a baby,” she said.

Amanda Camino ’30 of Lima, Peru, brought a white stuffed puppy with a security blanket attached, similar to one owned by her older sister and fellow Babson student, Antonella Camino ’28. “I’ve had this all my life, and my sister has one just like it, only it’s blue,” Amanda said. “It sort of connects me to her. This semester she’s going to study abroad, so while she’s away, I’m going to look at it and know that she has one exactly like it next to her.”

Food, Pet Pictures, and Sports

Stuffed animals weren’t the only favorite things transported from home. Food was another. Kiara Tariga ’30, a San Diego resident who was raised in a Japanese family, stuffed a suitcase full of miso soup packages. “I’ve got to be prepared. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find it in Boston,” she said. “Miso soup is a comfort kind of soup. I have enough for a whole month.”

Similarly, Maira Mahadevia ’30 packed plenty of dehydrated Indian food. The Mumbai resident knows she will miss cuisine from home, or face cold days when she might not want to walk to Trim Dining Hall. “It’s an easy meal to make in the dorm,” she said. “Just add water to it, and it’s ready.”

Pets back at home were on the minds of many students. Kacey O’Connell ’30 of Essex, Massachusetts, had a pillow with a picture of her dog, Gooby, on it. Anna Freeman ’30 of Medway, Massachusetts, had two such pet pillows: one of her dog, Buddy, and one of her cat, Sweetpea. “These are some of my best friends right here,” Freeman said. “Now, I’ve brought them to Babson.”

Many students brought sports-related items with them. From Detroit, Luke Slanec ’30 brought the stick that he used on his senior year lacrosse team. It reminds him of old teammates. From Chicago, Nathan Moy ’30 brought his golf clubs. “My dad introduced me to golf at a young age,” he said, “so it reminds me of home.” From Medfield, Massachusetts, Jack Gage ’30 brought a boxing glove signed by former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. His dad had given Gage the glove as a birthday gift. “I’m a big fan of Mike Tyson—his boxing, not his other antics,” Gage said.

Of course, not all items carted from home were loaded with sentimentality and meaning. Finley Lewis ’30 of Dallas brought a pair of workout shorts with cartoon geese, along with the words ”silly goose,” pictured on them. “I just thought they were super funny,” he said.