Junior Isabel Norman (left), junior Annabelle Gentling (second from left), Alexa McGlathery, Life & Arts Editor for Pepperdine Graphic Media (second from right) and Sophia Alexakos (right)-pose during a ride on the Tube in London on March 13. Norman said she can sometimes still hear the rumbling sounds of the Tube that fill the background of many of her abroad memories. Photo courtesy of Isabel Norman
Tales of the human experience have been passed down for generations — from children gathering around their grandmother to becoming the source of laughter in a college dorm room.
Through the art of reflecting and retelling memories, friendships form, bonds strengthen and growth ensues, according to Psychology Today.
“Stories are how we reminisce on the beautiful lives we have lived,” junior Jocelyn Sala said. “They allow us to appreciate our experiences and the experiences of others.”
The Fable of a Memory
Growing up, Sala said her mother would paint verbal pictures as the family gathered around the table for Christmas.
“She uses her hands a lot when she tells a story,” Sala said. “She paints a picture for you almost where, not only are you hearing the story, but you also feel like you see it too.”
Junior Isabel Norman’s now 98-year-old grandmother was the source of her bedtime stories growing up.
“My grandma is the greatest storyteller ever,” Norman said. “It’s her form of spreading love and bonding with her grandchildren.”
Norman said inheriting her grandmother’s stories gives her wisdom and a deeper understanding of who her grandmother is as a woman.
Junior Isabel Norman poses with her grandmother during Christmastime on Dec. 21, 2024. Norman said she enjoys hearing her grandmother’s stories about meeting Norman’s grandfather. Photo courtesy of Isabel Norman
In a similar vein, Sala said her friends’ stories carry weight in learning the lives they lived before she entered into their stories.
“I love simply sitting on the couch with my roommates and telling stories,” Sala said. “We just share memories from throughout our lives, and that understanding of each other brings us closer together.”
Senior Brooke Doherty said there is nothing better than coming home after a long day and getting to “debrief” with her roommates.
“There is never a shortage of things to say or memories to laugh about, and that phenomenon is something that’s so unique to the college experience,” Doherty said.
The Novel of Nostalgia
For Sala, nostalgia is the bittersweet feeling that surrounds a memory.
“Nostalgia is the beauty of holding on,” Sala said. “Holding onto the moments that turn into the memories that shape you.”
When Norman studied abroad in London, “Wonderwall” by Oasis became the anthem of her year. Now, the song is one of the many things that transports Norman back to the U.K.
“The other day I sprayed the perfume I wore in London and for a second it felt like I never even left,” Norman said.
There is a sense of nostalgia, Sala said, that seems to breathe into spaces she’s in whenever the people closest to her are near.
When her father’s favorite rock songs play — the songs that were the soundtrack of her childhood — they become the static that fills the late night car conversations with her closest friends, Sala said.
Junior Jocelyn Sala hugs her father at a work event Dec. 6, 2013. Sala said her father has played a large part in who she has grown up to be. Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Sala
Sala said growing up, her mother’s favorite song was “In My Life” by The Beatles. Whenever it plays, Sala is transported by the sounds of her youth.
“Every time I hear that song now, I get emotional and can feel her with me and almost see the memories we made together with that song in the background,” Sala said.
For Doherty, nostalgia carries many different emotions.
“At this stage of my life, nostalgia is such a strange feeling,” Doherty said. “It’s appreciating the little moments you didn’t even realize would become so meaningful at the time.”
A Bittersweet Read of a Moment
Although looking back on the fond moments life has to offer may feel more comfortable, reflecting on life’s trials is what Doherty said triggers the most growth.
“I can’t change the past,” Doherty said. “But I can change the way I understand and apply it to my life to grow.”
Embracing the good, bad, ugly, beautiful, traumatic and ridiculous moments of life are what Sala describes as the art of being in your 20s.
“In your 20s we are bound to change so fast and make mistakes,” Sala said. “But at the speed of everything, we need to try and take in all the wonderful things we can.”
(From left to right) Seniors Josie Politzer, Brooke Doherty, Kinley Billingsley and Miriam Vacek embrace at Rock the Brock on Aug. 31. Doherty didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad at the event as it was one of her first of the lasts of her time in college. Photo courtesy of Brooke Doherty
Doherty said there is sometimes a strange combination of appreciation and sadness when reminiscing on her time at Pepperdine, given that it is her senior year.
“You develop a certain feeling towards reminiscing when you start to understand that you’re leaving these years of your life behind,” Doherty said.
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Contact Haylie Ross via email: haylie.ross@pepperdine.edu or via Instagram: @haylierossjournalism
