Unlike typical CDs, the albums junior Jerry Wang collects come with postcards, photo cards and a photobook containing the members of the K-pop group that produced the album. Tomorrow x Together (TXT) Wang’s favorite group, contains five members and each member has several variations of photocards. Many K-pop fans hope to collect all the variations, but very few have achieved this feat.

“Collecting photocards is a really daunting task in itself and especially because there are so many different albums and photo cards,” Wang said. “I think the goal of finishing is definitely something that takes a lot of time, especially since albums and photo cards are still being released.”

Wang purchased his first album in February 2023,  an album by TXT.

titled “Chapter: Temptation.” Since then he has continued to add to his collection, storing each piece of collectible media in separate binders, each for different K-pop groups. While TXT is his favorite group, Wang also supports other groups, purchasing their albums and photocards.  

“I realized that there is a lot more out there and it would be great if I could just expand on the collection and just collect more of a variety,” Wang said. “I just feel like photocards are so versatile and that's why I love collecting, because I don't really see the same old boring stuff every time.”

Having started out playing board games with her family, Junior Gabriella Slade’s board game collection has been growing for as long as she can remember. She reflects on how playing gives her a nostalgic feeling due to the experience she had growing up with her family. 

“When I was a child I used to play board games a lot with my family and so we've collected them over the years, because we realized we enjoyed playing the games together,” Slade said. 

Slade enjoys sharing her collection with others, so much so that she started a board game club that meets every other week to play games from her collection. Through collecting board games over the years, Slade now feels as if these games are a part of her identity and they allow her to connect with her friends and family. 

“When I'm just playing with my friends and they ask to play a board game I say sure,” Slade said. “Because I have this huge collection, that's something that I treasure.”

When senior Zayd Musa’s friend first introduced him to different types of skin care products, Musa was especially intrigued by one particular item —  a peach flavored lip balm. Soon, Musa would begin his large collection of lip balms in a box that currently contains 30 unique lip balms ranging in price, color and purpose.  Some promote moisture and hydration for lips, while others are meant solely for aesthetic purposes to match a cohesive theme. 

“I got into skincare a year ago and since then, whenever there's a new lip balm or something that looks interesting, I like to try it,” Musa said. “So over the process, I've amassed a collection.”

Musa notes how his passion for trying new lip balms has become a big part of his life. He regularly keeps up with social media skincare and lip care trends and scavenges for new lip balms, browsing online websites or going in-person to stores. Musa adds that the feminine connotation of wearing lip products does not bother him and will not stop him from continuing his passion of collecting lip balms.  

“My lip balms are a part of my identity because it's one of my hobbies and an aspect of me that one would consider a little bit out of the norm for a guy,” Musa said. “But I'm happy with the collection that I have because it is a way for me to be okay with what I'm interested in and not have typical gender expectations inhibit my interest.”

Junior Dhruva Ramachandran’s extensive vinyl collection began after he received his first one as a birthday gift from his parents. It was a vinyl of the album “OK Computer” by Radiohead, which later became one of his favorite albums. Since receiving this record, he has continued to add to his collection.

“I have always been into collecting music, so whenever I get the chance, I try to add to my collection of records,” Ramachandran said. 

Although he sometimes finds getting these records difficult, he often spends his time searching at stores like Amoeba Music in San Francisco, which is home to thousands of vinyl records, CDs and DVDs. Browsing the aisles of Amoeba Music has helped him find numerous albums, some for a price as low as $3. Ramachandran says he doesn’t mind spending the money on his collection due to his passion for music. 

“Music has always been something that's been a part of my life since I was really young,” Ramachandran said. “So there are a lot of different albums that I'm passionate about and that mean something to me in their own special ways.”