It Feels a Bit Like St. Helens, Ore.

Monica Vanlaer of St. Helens, Ore., moved away from family and friends in August to start her freshman year at Chapman University in Orange. The homesick theater technology major didn’t waste any time decorating her dorm room to remind her of what she left behind. Her desk is surrounded with mementos of loved ones.

“I was missing my friends and I had seven or eight rolls of film of them and my walls were naked, so I spent a weekend making collages to cover the wall area and a little shelf that’s not really a shelf. It’s really a covering for the fluorescent lights, and there’s even a little sticker that says, ‘This is not to be used as a shelf.’

“But it’s situated right where a shelf should be. It’s about 4 feet long, and I put some lightweight candleholders my grandpa made on it. I also have a couple of corsages from my high school formals on it.

“I took this nonshelf and made it into a decorative area to make it feel more like home. It’s all flame-resistant and approved by my resident advisor.

“Below it is my desk and it has a little shelf where I have votive candles and my sugar package collection that I’ve collected from my favorite restaurants across the country.”

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