You may know James Wojtal as the ‘that one kid with the tiger onesie,’ but this loveable freshman has a few more credits to his name! Read on to find out more about the sassiest kid on campus and his views on consent, music, and cupcakes.
Name: James Kozol Wojtal
Age: 18, as of August
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Oberlin, Ohio
Major: Prospective English and Chemistry Double Major
Spirit animal: A sugar glider. They’re the squirrels with wings!
James, you’ve become a mini campus celebrity in the little time you’ve been at Kenyon. Your tiger onesie has been recognized on social media platforms. How do you feel about your newfound status?
Well, I went to a really small school, so it’s awesome to be known by more than 150 people! But it’s also weird because there are people that know I’m the ‘tiger onesie kid,’ and I don’t know them. It’s fun, though, to be a celebrity of sorts.
The important question is, where did you get the onesie? Where did this idea come from?
I was at Target before I came to school. I was shopping for school supplies, and then I saw this onesie. I said, “I need this.” I bought it with a Target gift card. I thought it would be pretty distinctive; I could reinvent myself as a tiger, not a human, in college.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done whilst wearing the tiger onesie?
I went to the first few freshman social mixers in the onesie, and that was fun. I think I’m going to start going to random parties and talking to people. I want to tell them to be safe and wear a condom. Consent is super important to me. People listen to tigers more than they listen to humans. (Editor’s note: James is a huge supporter of Take Back the Night and believes in #respectfuldifference.)
Also, maybe they’ll hallucinate that I’m a real tiger!
Imagine this: Your onesie is burned in a terrible fire. You have to buy a new one. Do you pick another animal?
Yeah. I think I’d like to expand my boundaries. I think I’d buy a unicorn onesie. I saw one once at a gas station and thought it was beautiful.
I’d also get an octopus onesie. With all the arms? That would be awesome.
James, you’re also involved in a lot of music activities here at Kenyon (Kenyon College Chamber Singers, The Ransom Notes). What’s one song you hope to sing in front of an audience during your time here?
Right now I look forward to singing Schuman’s piece [In Chamber Singers], so I can sing ‘naked and alone, we came’ in front of an audience.
On a more modern note, anything by Sara Bareilles. I cry at her songs, because she’s so awesome. I saw her in concert and it changed my life.
Here come the quirky questions: if you could only eat one cupcake flavor combination for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would be a brownie cupcake with chocolate filling and buttercream icing. Best thing ever! I’m a chocoholic.
It’s kind of early for this, but if you ever study abroad, where would you like to go? Pick three places.
Spain, because it’s beautiful. New Zealand, because my dad is a geologist and he says that geographically it’s the more gorgeous place he’s ever been. Plus, it’s Australia without the scary animals. The third place would have to be the Amazon. My parents took me birding a lot as a kid, and there are some gorgeous birds there.
If you could spend an hour with anyone in the world, who would it be, what would you do, and why?
This might be coming just because I’m wearing a tiger onesie, but Bill Watterson. He doesn’t talk to a lot of people. I’d love to talk to him while wearing this onesie and show him how his work changed everyone’s lives. And then he’d start making Calvin & Hobbes comics again!
Finally, name one thing on your Kenyon Bucket list.
Get everyone in Chamber Singers to buy a onesie and perform in them at least once. Doc included.