As a kid, I always enjoyed going to the store and picking out a backpack for the first day of school. I always made sure it was like me and represented me.
“Senior backpacks” is a tradition where seniors celebrate their last year of high school by wearing kid backpacks—some are glittery, have super heroes or even cartoon characters. While the origin of this trend is unknown, it gained more recent popularity in 2021 and 2022 with the rise of social media; however, some suggest that this trend dates back to 2008.
For a lot of seniors, senior year is the most important for them—not only because of the senior activities, but also because it is their last year of high school and the start of adulthood. Wearing their senior backpacks is like representing who they are as a person and gives others a glimpse of who you were as a kid.
Although this year was even more important, trying to find a backpack that represented me in my childhood was pretty difficult, especially since there were so many amazing memories, whether it was a favorite movie or a character that we remember to this day.
I walked through the Santee Alleys in Downtown Los Angeles searching for the one. There were stores everywhere, selling everything from jewelry, clothes, to dozens and dozens of toys. Vendors yelling “pasele todo barato” trying to get customers into their stores. They were filled with lots of people walking around other seniors asking the vendors if they had a specific backpack. Everyone was trying to find the perfect backpack. The majority of the seniors wanted a backpack that represented who they are as a little kid, whether it was a childhood show, movie or even artist. Something childish, cute and nostalgic.
I talked to a few seniors about what they thought about this trend. The majority of them gave me a similar response and said they thought it would be fun and nostalgic but also exciting to see what backpacks the seniors would pick out.
About The Backpacks
Jackie Sevilla’s backpack is an all-black backpack with Snoopys with different expressions: happy, curious and excited. Each Snoopy has different emotions and expressions that represent Jackie.
Diamond Nerio’s backpack is a red backpack with Elmo’s face on it. Elmo has a happy expression, pretty noticeable since it’s a bright red, something that diamond represents.
Gilbert Lopez’s backpack is blue, black and yellow with Batman’s face on it, a very popular superhero that almost everyone loves (but most people love Spider-man).
Why did you pick your backpack?
Sevilla: I love Snoopy. I feel like I see myself in Snoopy just from the character himself. He’s so cute, and he has little “crash out” moments.
Nerio: Elmo was my sister’s favorite, and my sister means a lot to me. Plus, I didn’t really have one to decide on so I just thought I’ll go with the second best one.
Lopez: I always watched Batman during my childhood. I would say it has a lot of meaning to me because it was a show of doing the right over the wrong and just standing up for what you think is right and taking action.
Would you say your backpack describes your personality in any way?
Sevilla: Definitely. If you’ve seen the Peanuts, Snoopy and his little bird Woodstock are best friends and I’m like, “Aww, that’s really cute,” like me and my best friends are like that too. Snoopy is very expressive, and I feel like I’m expressive myself too.
Nerio: I say yes because my backpack is bright red and I feel like I’m a bright person, so yeah I feel like that would describe me.
Lopez: I would say it does and it doesn’t at the same time. I’m able to get my voice out there and take actions of situations that I think need to be spoken upon, but at the same time, the character itself is more quiet and compared to me I’m more vocal and more active.
If you could describe your backpack in three words, how would you describe it?
Sevilla: I’d say it’s simple, cute and “me”.
Nerio: I would say childish, in a good way, nostalgic and cute.
Lopez: Glossy, very colorful and very authentic to my childhood background.
Why do you think it became a trend to wear kid backpacks during senior year?
Sevilla: I think it’s a really fun idea. When you first start school, you’re like a little kid with your little backpack with your favorite characters from a TV show or something. So then your senior year, it’s your last year of the 12 years you have to do. So becoming a little kid again—I feel like it’s nostalgic.
Nerio: I think this represents how yet we’re growing up well, not really because we’re always going to have that inner child with us. So I think this is just a reminder to not be scared of growing up because it comforts me. I do feel childish wearing it, but in a good way.
Lopez: I feel like this represents an end of an era starting from like the age of seven to eight going towards 18 really seeing like ten years of education and just going to school and it’s just kind of like reflects your roots and where you first started and looking back on seeing how far like you’ve made it and what you’ve gone through.
