Big Red is undoubtedly the most amazing mascot in the nation…Do not even try to argue with me…I will win and all other “toppers” will eat you alive.

So maybe you don't know who Big Red is...Although that's a terrible shame, let me enlighten you. Big Red is the mascot at Western Kentucky University. He appears to look like a big red blob but he is meant to symbolize the spirit of WKU students and alumni as well as the sports teams' nickname, the "Hilltoppers,"

Now that you have been enlightened, this is why I feel everyone needs just a little bit of that “Big Red” blood in them…Big Red is always happy!! Whether he is really feeling all down in the dumps or maybe his finals hit him like a truck(as they did the rest of us) he keeps on going. He is so full of energy and is always finding a way to make people laugh. Sure, Big Red is simply a mascot and sadly, underneath that big blob of red there is a student just like the rest of us probably just wanting to take a long nap…but the difference in Big Red and other students is he goes out of his way to make everyone happy! Saying “Goodmorning” to someone when you pass them walking to class or asking someone to have lunch with you may seem like such a grand gesture…but ask Big Red if that’s enough for him.

As a Freshman at WKU, I have already managed to take not one but FOUR pictures with Big Red himself and I even got to help him crowd surf! Yeah, that’s right! I was part of the crowd lifting Big Red to surf him over the crowd at a football game. I don’t know about you, but I would never have the guts to let a bunch of wild college students lift me as I crowd surfed. Big Red is very trustworthy and that is a trait more of us need to develop. I know it’s hard when you get out in the real world, it’s easy to see more and more people can’t be trusted. The thing is though, so many people can be trusted! We need to be like Big Red and give everyone a chance to see what they’re really capable of!

My guy Red is an incredible entertainer and by entertainer I mean… “Have you seen him break it down?!” That ole blob has got moves like I can’t even describe. I’ve seen him mock the Majorettes, dance with the cheerleaders, and of course he had to have the spotlight for just himself every now and then. Big Red has SO much Confidence! Even though we can’t see under the costume, it still takes a lot of nerve to get out and become best friends with an entire university. It takes even more nerve to act absolutely crazy on a football field in front of thousands of people who literally are watching every move you make. I wish I had just a little bit of Big Red’s confidence. By no means am I a shy person…I am extremely outgoing and I love meeting new people, but it doesn’t take much for my face to start getting red and the nerves to eat me alive. How amazing would it be if everyone could be as confident in their own skin as Big Red is and if little things were even tinier things that just didn’t matter at all?

While you may have a Soaring Eagle, a Spartan, or a Bobcat as your mascot… I’ll still be here going gah gah over my mascot, Big Red. While he might not be strong or come across intimidating to opposing schools, he is everything I want to be as a person. He is everything I wish the world had in them. Positivity, Trust, and Confidence I have come to find are three of the most important characteristics a person can have to live a happy, successful life. Big Red pursues all three and so many more making him the greatest mascot on the planet.

WKU STUDENTS!! Next time you see Big Red out, run to him for a quick hug or selfie! He loves those, trust me…and he will probably be slightly offended if you don’t. Plus, how on earth can you resist that adorable fuzzy ball?!