FSCJ's new manta ray mascot, the costumed character unveiled on Tuesday, Sept. 17 for school officials and students. | FSCJ
Published on September 17, 2024 at 1:11 pm
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Florida State College at Jacksonville introduced its new mascot on Tuesday morning. Now the college that serves more than 40,000 students is seeking the public’s nominations to name the blue sea creature.
The costumed mascot was unveiled on World Manta Day, Sept. 17, to school faculty, staff and students at its South Campus Gymnasium. That facility, where college athletes will compete with the new mascot in attendance, is henceforth known as The Reef.
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The manta ray mascot was first announced during May’s college’s commencement ceremony, after a public vote last fall that narrowed a list of 25 mascots to three finalists: kraken, manta ray, and sea dragon.
The public voted on the finalists from January 17 to February 23, with almost 20,000 votes. Since then, the costume design process has been in the works, college President John Avendano said in a statement.
“The initial search for our new mascot reached viral proportions on campus and throughout the community through the voting process. We knew this was going to be big, but we didn’t anticipate it would become this huge,” Avendano said. “We hope to keep this momentum going as we look to name our new friend.”
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The college is collecting nominations for the new name through Sept. 27. Then the list will be narrowed down for public voting. The final mascot name should be selected before the end of the year.
