Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
A small trinket box, located on the top of the shuttle bus stop on the Brownsville campus, filled with small objects such as keychains, cartoon figurines, Pokémon cards and more, has become a way to bring the student community together.
Michelle Garcia, an early childhood education senior, said she was inspired to bring the idea to the Brownsville campus after seeing a trend on TikTok and set up the box on April 12.
“I went on the Facebook page for UTRGV students, and I saw someone say, ‘Why don’t we have one on campus? We should start one.’ And it was funny because I actually wanted to start one as well,” Garcia said.
She shared the process of building the trinket box with the help of her husband, who took a first-aid kit and painted it pink to help his wife. Garcia added one of the box’s purposes was to spread joy among students.
“Especially now, everything is so expensive,” she said. “I was, like, what a better way to get a little trinket and not having to pay for it. All you have to do is trade out an old one,” Garcia said.
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
Dariana Fuentes, a biology freshman, said she thought the dynamic was a great way to deal with the overwhelming stress of college, serving as a distraction and helping bring students together. She would like to see more of this in the future.
Garcia said she was excited to see other students, inspired by the concept, making their own boxes as well, and how this helps spread it across campus. She said she would like to bring the trinket box to the Edinburg campus.
When asked by The Rider what she would say to students who want to bring a concept such as this to the student community but may be afraid to do so, she replied, “Just do it, honestly, don’t overthink it, you never know the impact it has on someone. Maybe someone is having a bad day and, then, they just come across this box, and it changes their whole day around.”
Gonzalo Cerbella, an electrical engineering senior, said it is pretty cool that there is an unspoken rule about leaving something and grabbing something.
“I think it’s nothing that I’ve ever seen before on campus,” Cerbella said. “It’s such a cool experience just to see what you can find in there and just put something there.”
He added the concept, such as the trinket box, expands students’ creativity and inspires them to engage in activities beyond those organized by the school.
Garcia said she hopes that after she graduates in May, people can continue to transform the box sharing with each other, and hopes to share this idea with her students when starting her profession.
