Editor’s Note: Since we first published this story, we’ve added a reader poll asking: Which sticker would you steal if you could? Don’t forget to cast your vote after exploring the students’ collections.
Peel back the layers: UVA students express themselves through laptop stickers
UVA students present their laptop stickers, which reveal their passions, memories and identities. (All photos by Matt Riley, University Communications; main illustration by John DiJulio, University Communications; interactive design by Mike Cross, University Communications)
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Walk across any college campus and you’ll spot them everywhere: laptops transformed into personal billboards, with screen backs covered in a collage of stickers. Each carefully chosen sticker tells a story, from academic affiliation and club involvements to beloved music, movies and inside jokes shared with friends.
UVA Today talked to five University of Virginia students about their laptop sticker collections and discovered the interesting stories behind their sticker choices.
Click on a selection of stickers to uncover what these tiny pieces of self-expression reveal about student life on Grounds.
Lucas Radoncic
master’s in commerce graduate student
TBLA
While an undergraduate at UVA, Radoncic served as the social chair of Towards a Better Latin America, where he organized fundraising events for causes across the region. Last semester, the organization raised money for Hope to Walk, providing low-cost prosthetic legs to people in need. The sticker reminds him of meaningful work creating awareness about issues in Latin America.
Playero
This San Juan surf shop represents home for the Puerto Rico native, connecting Radoncic to the island’s surf culture and serving as a reminder of Puerto Rican beaches while away from home in Virginia.
Rincón
Collected while on a trip to this Puerto Rican municipality, the sticker celebrates the area’s large surfing community. Highway 413, featured on the sticker’s design, is known as the “surfer’s road to happiness” because it leads to famous beaches and reflects the laid-back environment Radoncic enjoys exploring.
Desecheo
Radoncic picked up this sticker in Rincón, and it lists the popular local beaches.
Surf Zone
From an Aguadilla ship selling surfboards and clothing with designs inspired by Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. The sticker features Puerto Rico’s cultural symbol, the coquí frog.
Sydney McClellan
second-year media studies and computer science student
Scott Pilgrim vs. the world
The pixelated design represents the 2010 comedy movie in which Michael Cera’s character battles his girlfriend’s seven evil exes in a video game-like reality, which is one of McClellan’s favorite movies. A member of Student Game Developers, McClellan hopes to pursue video game development in the future.
Vote for Pedro
The campaign slogan is from 2004’s quirky movie, “Napoleon Dynamite,” and represents McClellan’s obsession with movies. A high school English teacher gifted this sticker to McClellan after she mentioned her love for the film. “I still think of that whenever I look at that sticker.”
Summer Salt
Collected in 2024 when the dreamy, surf-pop duo opened for Mom Jeans in Richmond, this sticker represents one of McClellan’s favorite live shows she’s ever attended.
Sonic and Link
Representing two beloved gaming universes, these characters reflect McClellan’s passion for classic franchises and indie games. As someone planning to create video games professionally, Sonic and Link serve as inspiration for the worlds she hopes to build.
Godwin Mensah
second-year music major
U Singers
Mensah joined the flagship choral ensemble University Singers in his first year, fulfilling a dream from orientation. “At Convocation, all I could think about was singing on the Rotunda steps with them,” he said.
Three Hullabahoos stickers
Though initially focused on traditional choir, Mensah auditioned for a cappella groups and joined the Hullabahoos in the fall of his first year.
The College
As a music major in the College of Arts & Sciences, this sticker represents the academic diversity that Mensah values. The liberal arts approach lets him explore beyond music while maintaining his focus.
UVA Music
The department holds special meaning through favorite professors Michael Slon, the U Singers’ choral director, and private voice instructor Pamela Beasley. “Professor Beasley is super knowledgeable, and her laughter and energy are infectious,” Mensah said.
Taylor Thomas
fourth-year engineering student
Constellation
This sticker reflects her deep interest in space science. “I tried to put the stickers in the right orientation as they are in the sky,” she said.
Society of Women Engineers
Collected at Engineering Futures Day during her sophomore year of high school, this sticker represents Thomas’ leadership role organizing the same event each semester at UVA.
“Please keep off the grass”
Her twin brother’s band logo, gifted by a family friend at a hometown gig. The sticker represents Thomas’ support of her sibling.
Theatre nerd
From the Virginia Thespian Festival in high school, the sticker playfully corrects “theater” to “theatre.” A former technical theater participant who now helps with the lights at Lighting of the Lawn, it represents her creative side.
Karma is a cat
This sticker is a Taylor Swift reference from her Swiftie mom. The sticker represents both her musical taste and her close bond with her mother.
You are my sunshine
From the Virginia Beach Leadership Workshop, this upbeat sticker serves a daily purpose. “I choose to stick it on my laptop to add a little sunshine into all my days,” Thomas said.
Ryan Weiner
third-year politics and history major
Keep left
A perfect fit for this left-handed student who vacations annually in St. Thomas, where British influence means everyone drives on the left side. The sticker celebrates his family’s Caribbean tradition and solidarity with the “left-handed community.”
Five UVA stickers
The stickers arrived with his UVA acceptance package during his senior year of high school. “I put some on my high school laptop, but saved some for later,” he said. Moving them to his college laptop marked his transition from UVA applicant to full-on Wahoo.
Yeti
An unexpected addition forms a Father’s Day gift. When Weiner bought his dad a cooler, it came with several stickers. His dad wasn’t interested in them, but “I had this big spot here and figured I’d stick it on,” he said.
Ron Jon
A brotherly souvenir from Cocoa Beach, Florida, representing their mutual travel tradition. “Whenever one of us goes on a trip, we always get a little souvenir for the other,” he said.
