Imagine going to a college known for being in the “Snowiest City in America,” but where there is also more school spirit than snow.
Enter, Penn State Behrend students.
Despite facing frigid, long, and not to mention down-right miserable conditions, PSB students always find a way to show their true colors: blue and white.
Whether in a freshman seminar, or 400-level science class, there is always at least one person sporting Penn State apparel. Those who wear their colors without even realizing are the best kinds of people, they instinctively reached for their blue and white because it’s more than just a sweatshirt, or t-shirt for them. There is no doubt we all know someone, or a few people, whose closet is fully decorated in their beloved blue and white.
Walking around Behrend’s campus each day, I see students and faculty alike adorned in some sort of school pride apparel. It makes me realize that being a Behrend student gives myself and my peers a sense of pride, excitement and something greater than myself; a community that stands for more than just a college degree. Our school pride is similar to a lion’s roar; it is strong, loud, and distinctive, and each day we show it by wearing our true colors- especially on game days. Because “WE ARE”, am I right, or am I right?!
Behrend’s bookstore makes it easy for students to show school spirit by providing everything from tank tops, for those sun-scorching August afternoons, to scarves, gloves, and hats for the chilling February mornings. There are also countless opportunities, events, and organizations that give out free t-shirts, glasses, lanyards, and mugs, making it even easier to show our pride each day.
This spirit unites past, present, and future Behrend Lions. It is not uncommon to see alums sporting their blue and white long after graduation, and even more common to see future Lions wearing their colors. To some, this wave of blue and white may seem trivial, but to most it is a symbol of unity and pride. The Penn State blue and white brings together our twenty-four branch campuses and unites us as one school- The Pennsylvania State University.
As one of rap’s favorite artists, Wiz Khalifa once sang, “…cause that’s my true colors.”