As seniors transition into their final school year here at NASH, they contemplate all the supplies they could possibly need. That includes pencils, lunchboxes, notebooks…and My Little Pony backpacks. 

This year, the halls of the senior high school are filled with backpacks that would usually be seen in elementary schools. The trend seemingly originated from TikTok and, as most trends do, made its way to schools all over the nation. 

The trend began as students started aiming their attention toward back-to school goals. 

In a recently viral video on TikTok breaching 1.5 million likes, a group of students line up, introduce themselves, and describe their backpacks, which feature designs from Hello Kitty, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney Princesses, and Marvel, among other pop culture standouts from students’ younger years.

Some NASH seniors have decided to use this trend as inspiration to allow their backpack to express their personalities during the final year of high school. For instance, senior Katie Maffei’s backpack consists of various Disney Princesses.

“I wanted to do a funny backpack for senior year to experience being a kid one last time,” Maffei said. “It is also for fun because my friends are doing it.” 

Maffei has a nostalgic take on the trend. As she approaches adulthood, she wants to experience childhood one last time.

Meanwhile, Jordan Smithyman has a rather different view. Instead of wearing a child’s backpack, she has chosen to carry her lunch around in a Minecraft Creeper lunchbox. 

“I knew some people were doing senior backpacks and it sounded fun, but I decided to do a lunch box instead of a backpack because I need a backpack big enough for my stuff,” Smithyman said. 

NASH senior Chloe Dyczewski is another one of the trend hoppers with yet another Disney Princess backpack. However, Dyczewski claims that instead of following a TikTok trend, she wanted to follow in the footsteps of last year’s seniors.

“I decided to try this trend because I saw a bunch of seniors doing it last year, so I thought it would be cute to continue the trend and live like a kid one last time,” she said.

Roza Korkmaz has decided to go a different route by sporting a backpack featuring a large McDonald’s logo.

“McDonald’s is my favorite place to be, so I thought I’d carry it around with me everywhere I go,” Korkmaz said.

Regardless of which style of backpack a senior chooses, it is nearly impossible to walk into a NASH classroom without seeing more and more members of the Class of 2025 rocking a Paw Patrol or unicorn-themed pack.

“I think it’s hilarious, and I love seeing the various designs,” said senior Aria Costanzo, who wields a stylish black Vera Bradley backpack.