Face masks. When you stroll around VCU, you see them everywhere. As students walk through campus on their way to class or to the library, their personal style is on display from head to toe, and their face masks are no exception.

Every mask tells a story. A story about the student who wears it and what it says about their personality. A story about where they got that mask — maybe it was a gift from a friend or family member or maybe they crafted it themselves. A story about what drives them to mask up day after day.

While the evidence is there — studies have shown that masks have been key to reducing the spread of COVID-19 worldwide — the reasons students wear them range from showing mutual respect to protecting relatives and community members to reminding them how they got where they are today.

And while this year may look a little different, many VCU students have embraced masks as part of their image, part of what makes them stand out from the crowd.

We talked to some of these students about their favorites and what motivates them to put on that mask every day. Read their stories.

For more information on face masks, see “Face masks: Why to wear them, how to clean them.” Visit our COVID-19 page for more news and information.