He runs around the football field with his hands to the sky and spins on his shell when the basketball team makes a shot. He sits in front of McKeldin library proudly, glistening as tour guides tell tales of his history to perspective Terps (“He’s been stolen from us in the past, we’ve found him on the beaches of Miami and at Johns Hopkins, among other places, but we always bring him back…”). Students who pass any of his locations on campus rub his nose or leave an offering, believing in the luck he will bring.
Testudo is the face of this university, adorning t-shirts, notebooks, backpacks, letterheads, club logos, hats, and hundreds of other items. Testudo represents this university and what we stand for.
Some fellow Testudo enthusiasts had other things to add to his amazingness:
“He makes me feel at home,” Norine McKee, a sophomore English major said. “One time I left him a cookie.”
“The feeling of camaraderie among all the students!” -Connie Chow, freshman civil engineering major.
“Testudo means pride. We have more pride than most other schools.” -Moriah Alston, sophomore music education major.
“Testudo means school spirit. He’s a symbol for students to believe in, a friendly face to see at games.” -Sapna Khemka, sophomore biology major.
“Good luck!” -Josh Taylor, sophomore accounting major.
“He’s our mascot and a website. But really, he’s Terp pride.” -Jaren Butler, sophomore mechanical engineering major.
“He means unity. He means shouting and cheering at football games. He means good luck when I rub his nose. He gives the best high fives, too!” -Neha Macwan, sophomore biology major.
“He means good luck on my test!” -Tina Francisco, sophomore veterinary medicine major
“He’s the turtle at McKeldin Library. That’s what he signifies to me. Oh, that reminds me, I need to go on Testudo the website!” -Jose Arevalo, junior business major
He’s a statue, he’s a website, he’s our mascot. But above all, he represents our pride.