in ,

Boy’s homemade U.T. shirt goes viral and gets him a spot

A fourth grader at Altamonte Springs Elementary school in Florida was bullied for the way he represented his favorite school. On Monday, September 9, the young boy made a DIY University of Tennessee t-shirt by pinning his own hand-drawn “U.T.” design on an orange shirt to represent the university at his school’s “College Colors Day.” Despite his excitement about the shirt that morning, his teacher, Laura Snyder, finds him crying about it after lunch. 

The University of Tennessee Campus|Courtesy of Tennessee.edu

“Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn’t even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt. “He was devastated,” said Snyder, “I know kids can be cruel, I am aware that it’s not the fanciest sign, but this kid used the resources he had available to him to participate in a spirit day.”

Finding the kid upset over something he was so proud of , motivated Snyder to make it up to him. She put out a post on Facebook asking if anyone she knew had any contacts at the university. She originally  was just going to buy the student an authentic University of Tennessee t-shirt, but once she got in contact with the school, she asked them “to make it a little extra special for him.”

The university later sent the boy a large care package of University of Tennessee shirts, hats, pens, water bottles and other goodies for him to enjoy and share with his classmates. The fourth grader found himself ecstatic and proud to be a Vols fan. 

The young boy’s DIY shirt and the university’s official design|Photo Courtesy of CNN

Even when he thought it couldn’t get any better, the university announced that they were making the young kid’s handmade “U.T.” design into an official University of Tennessee t-shirt. The design was printed on shirts and sweatshirts and sold on the official Vols fan shop website. Not only did the sales crash the online store, but the profits made will all be donated to an anti-bullying foundation.

After receiving tons of attention for his Vols spirit, the young boy was offered a  spot in the Class of 2032 at the University of Tennessee. If in 8 years the young fan can meet admission requirements for the school and chooses to attend there, he will be awarded a four-year scholarship covering his tuition and fees starting in the fall of 2028. 

Written by Roxy Hudson

Roxy Hudson is Co-Editor-in-Chief for the MCSun, and is going on her third full year of writing with the Sun Staff. She is a Senior runner for the Varsity Cross Country and Track Team and a member of MC's Varsity Soccer Team. When she is not spending her time running in circles on the track, Roxy is usually chilling on the couch with her two adorable chocolate labs or whipping up a tasty dish in the kitchen.

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *