At times all it takes is one photograph. Just one photograph that will instantly take you back. It provides a nostalgic feeling that takes you back to the people you grew up with, the places where you spent your younger years and back to a life when life felt a bit simpler, and when you were making memories without even realising it.

Through old photographs, advertisements, school memories and forgotten treasures, North West University (NWU) alumnus Elena du Plessis takes her followers back to the sights and sounds that shaped a generation.

This is the exact feeling she hopes to capture through her 1986 Stories, a page that has grown from her own memories into a space where others can revisit theirs too.

For Elena, however, 1986 Stories is quite different from her day job. Elena has been a web designer transitioning into UX/UI design. “I’ve spent this time creating bespoke user experiences while addressing user painpoints in the banking, assessment management and insurance sector.” She is a designer in the financial sector, married and living in Potchefstroom. While she spends her working days designing solutions for users, her creative outlet has become telling stories about growing up in 1986.

Her own NWU story began in 2005 when she enrolled for a BA Communication Studies degree. At the time, she dreamed of becoming a journalist and even wrote for Kampus Beeld.

The course included web design, and while some of her classmates found it challenging, Elena found herself completely in her element.

“We still joke about the mermaids task in the bright yellow and purple handbook we had to do,” she says.

This went on to introduce her to a career she had never considered and helped her secure a part-time job in the field while she was still studying.

But her NWU years gave her much more than a career.

“My years at the NWU were the best years of my young adult life,” she says.

During her honours year, she met some of the friends she still has today. A group of six friends also started a tradition that has lasted almost two decades: wearing dresses on 1 September every year.

She also met her husband at the NWU and the two of them have been building their life together since 2005.

These are the kinds of memories that lie at the heart and form the core of 1986 Stories.

The idea came unexpectedly one Sunday afternoon. Elena initially wanted to tell the stories of people born in 1986 and create a picture of what it was like growing up as part of the millennial generation.

When the response was not quite enough to build the project she had imagined, she changed direction.

She decided to tell her own stories.

Elena went back through old letters, photographs and magazines, documenting the pieces of her past. At the end of 2025, she even took time off work to focus on the project.

“I inspected every photo, paged through old magazines and took photos of what I could,” she says.

She writes every story herself and wants the content to sound like her because authenticity matters to her. This authenticity is what struck a chord with her followers. People have not simply read her stories. They have added their own memories in the comments, creating a growing collection of shared experiences.

Her favourite response?

“Core memory unlocked!”

It is exactly the reaction she hoped for.

Elena believes nostalgia gives adults a chance to reconnect with moments that often disappear beneath the demands of everyday life.

Sometimes it takes an old advertisement, something one finds in a thrift store or a photograph tucked away in a box to bring those memories back.

She has always understood the value of documenting everyday moments. For almost four years, she has taken at least one photograph every day, capturing everything from working behind her computer and grocery shopping to cooking dinner and spending time with friends.

“It is a true reflection of what a year looks like, not just a highlight reel you would see on social media,” she says.

If she could sit down with her 2005 self, arriving at the NWU with dreams of becoming a journalist, she would give her one piece of advice: enjoy it.

“Soon you'll miss the freedom that comes with long holidays and time outdoors,” she says.

The knowledge stayed with her. So did the friendships.

And now, almost 20 years later, those NWU memories have become part of a much bigger story.

  Photo: Elena du Plessis