If you took a look into my closet, you would see that most of my closet is spirit wear. You will usually see me out and about in T-shirts and sweats from either my high school alma mater or my college, the University of Dayton (UD). This weekend I happened to not be wearing my spirit wear but my boyfriend was wearing his. As we walked around the mall, a salesman sparked a conversation with us after seeing the UD logo on my boyfriend’s shirt. He shared with us that his daughter loved her time at UD and after graduating went on to be successful, working for a bank. He shared how his daughter sealed the deal in her job interview when she bonded with the interviewer about being UD alums. I was especially inspired by this story since this would not have happened if she had not noticed her interviewer’s UD coffee mug. In light of this story and my personal experience, I realized that wearing your school spirit wear is important because you never know what conversations or opportunities it will spark.

As this story shows, repping your school’s colors and logo can also be a great way to subtly let others know what you stand for. Showing your school spirit does not have to be blatant, you can even wear a tie or sport a coffee mug with your school’s logo. While spirit wear can be expensive, it can also be a worthwhile investment to help you network and connect with other alums. That being said, free can be just as good so make the most of the opportunities to grab free spirit wear whenever you can. (To all the freshman, keep your eye out because you will have plenty of opportunities to grab free swag during orientation!)

Above all, be sure to wear your spirit wear with pride. You should not only be proud of your school, but also make your school proud of you. Definitely wear your spirit wear, but don’t wear it to activities and experiences your school would not be proud of or approve of. Wear it with pride and in a way that your school would be proud to claim you as theirs. So wear your spirit wear to football games, to class, to work, to shop. Whether you are an incoming first year or an alum, just wear it! You will be surprised by how many connections you will make.