Magpies, a species within the crow family, are known for hoarding shiny items. A magpie also refers to someone who is an avid gatherer of eclectic objects. The B interviewed three students and one faculty member to learn more about their collections.

Jaslene Lai

Much like the fossils she gathers, senior Jaslene Lai’s collection has certainly withstood the test of time. 

“I’ve always been really obsessed with paleontology,” Lai said. “I can’t have a full-size T-rex skeleton in my backyard, so this is kind of what I have instead.”

Lai’s collection ranges from museum-bought fossils to stones she gathered as a child. Over time, she has added more unique finds, including animal bones from owl pellets she prepares herself.

“I was walking my dog on Thanksgiving, and the [owl pellet] was just on the ground — like, literally right there,” Lai said. “I sanitized it, and did all the cleaning procedures, then I dissected it and took out all the bones, teeth, and skulls.”

Lai plans to major in the field of computational biology, but sees her collection as a remnant of her past self shining through the layers. 

“Even though I might not be pursuing a career in something like paleontology or true animal sciences, it’s always going to be a part of me,” Lai said. “I think it’s a really thoughtful reminder that this original science interest I’ve had ever since I was a little kid still means a lot to me.”

Every Broadway production gives out playbills — programs that list details of the show. Sophomore Holly Simson, an avid theater-goer and aspiring actress, collects one every time she watches a show. 

“I’ve been going to Broadway shows since I was four,” Simson said. “Mostly ones in San Francisco, but I also travel to New York a lot, and I collect them as a keepsake to know that I went to the show.”

Each summer, Simson trains at Stage Door Manor, a performing arts camp in New York. Whenever she visits, she sees around four Broadway performances, and often goes to the stage door after shows to meet actors.

“My favorite right now is one that I got two years ago from a show called Cabaret,” Simson said. “This girl named Eva Noblezada was in it. She’s a very famous actress, and I look up to her a lot. I got her autograph on that one, so it’s just very meaningful to me.”

For Simson, the actors’ encouragement always has an emotional and intellectual impact. 

“A lot of the time it’s very quick,” Simson said. “But when I do get to speak to them, it’s very inspirational and motivating as an actor.”

Over the last five years, Education Specialist Tim Whitehorn has amassed 45 pairs of Nike shoes, including limited-edition styles. He began his collection after his best friend’s wife started working at Nike’s World headquarters, allowing him to receive shoes for free or at a discount. Now, he buys one pair of shoes every month.

Whitehorn’s favorite pair is the Nike Dunk Decon N7, designed by Rebekah Jarvey and Nico Verburgt to honor Indigenous communities. The sneakers feature intricate nature-related details, including flowers, birds, and strawberries.

Whitehorn also owns two pairs of shoes from the 2024 Paris Olympics. One pair is the Olympic Nike Air Max 1s, given to all U.S. Olympians, while the other is the Nike SB Premium City of Style Dunks, a collaboration with a Parisian artist. 

“I have the Air Maxes that they gave all of the US Olympians in Paris that were blue and white with gold swooshes. So not a lot of people have those,” Whitehorn said. “I have some cool purple ones that were a collab with a Parisian artist done for the Olympics. I just have some fun, unique ones that you don’t see a lot.”

Sophomore Dominik Quijano’s friend introduced him to the Transformers series in kindergarten, and he has been a fan of the franchise ever since. Beginning in fourth grade, Quijano has collected over 100 Transformers figurines, ranging from Autobots to Decepticons.

Quijano said he enjoys collecting Transformers because each figurine has a different mold — the figure’s appearance once it transforms into its “alternate mode.”

Quijano is currently filming a stop-motion video with his figures to keep their joints loose and flexible.

“So sometimes I’ll just grab the figures, and I’ll film stop motions or little animations with them,” Quijano said. “One, it’s just putting them to good use, and two, if you don’t move your figures every once in a while, the joints will tighten up.”

For Quijano, the Transformers franchise has long been a passion of his, and it makes up a large part of his identity.

“I feel like I’ve just been interested in Transformers for so long that it’s basically a part of my life,” Quijano said. “It’s just a big part of my life. It’s the only thing I ever talk about and watch.”