What do you call a collection of 110 sneakers? A good beginning!

Many family members like to collect sneakers. We have been collecting various pairs for over 11 years. We now have 110 pairs of sneakers together as a family.

Everyone in my family is a “sneakerhead,” which is a person who collects sneakers as a hobby. My family especially likes to collect limited-edition and customized sneakers. My collection from Adidas, Nike and Nike-owned companies got me the nickname “Sneaker Girl.” When I was in third grade my classmates and some teachers started to call me that.

I started to enjoy collecting sneakers after I painted one of my first pairs. Year by year, I grew happier collecting them with my family. On my birthday, I received my first pair of hydro dip sneakers. They were among my favorite shoes. I had a white pair of Nikes, and employees dipped lots of colored paint on the sneakers. I added charms and flower accessories to turn it into a piece of art.

My dad loves basketball and sneakers. He started collecting them when he was a teenager, and his collection has grown ever since. My dad said, “The reason why I was a sneakerhead was because I was keen on the new colors. When I grew up there were only three colors for sneakers, red, white and black, but now there are so many colors.” My dad would buy my family sneakers, and sometimes I would wait to see if we could get limited-edition sneakers.

I am into fashion, and my favorite part is the shoes, because I have special memories of buying each pair. You can make your sneakers unique by designing them and adding technology to them. I hope that in the future my family will continue to add to our collection!

Karen Murillo's sixth-grade class, Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74, Bayside