MCC sophomore finds mission in being the mascot
Being Victor the Eagle gives MCC sophomore Alex Brown enjoyment.
Alex Brown doesn’t hesitate to say it’s great to be Victor the Eagle.
“I like to see the laughter and the happiness that I bring to campus … this one little bird bringing joy to people, and I enjoy that.”
Brown, a 20-year-old Meridian Community College freshman, serves as the College’s mascot, a task that he asked to take on. “I became Victor overnight, actually,” Brown said as he explained about a friend who is a member of MCC’s recruiting team, the Ivy League, who was asked to don the eagle suit for an upcoming event and was unable to do so. Seizing the opportunity, Brown asked Brandon Dewease, MCC director of student engagement, if he could be the mascot for the event. “And he gave me a chance,” Brown said.
His debut: The first Candy Cruise the College hosted for a community Halloween trick-or-treat event. “It was really cold that day, and I was in the suit having the time of my life. I was dancing around, fist-bumping kids, and everybody was happy to see the eagle. I did that pretty much the entire night,” Brown said.
“I look at Victor as a funny personality of myself. I see him as nice, fun, very gentle with kids, and playful. He’s the jokey person of myself. That’s how I look at him,” Brown said.
He added, “I do a lot more dancing. No one knows who you are when you’re wearing the suit. You’re really not going to get judged by doing silly stuff.”
There are a few drawbacks to being Victor, Brown said, but nothing he can't handle. “It’s very hot in the suit, but there’s a fan to cool you,” he said. It’s challenging to walk when wearing the suit, and there’s no peripheral vision, but there are folks to guide Victor along the way.
Serving as Victor is just one of life’s highlights for this 3D CAD major. “I have a very long bucket list and being a mascot was on it,” he said. Other bucket list items? “Graduate from college, start my own business, have a family,” Brown said.
Brown plans to finish his degree in May 2022. “MCC gave me a chance when other schools wouldn’t give me a chance,” he said.