All of sudden, one day, you wake up and realize that through-and-through, you are a Ute. A true Ute, a bleeding red, crazy-lady loving, Ute. Here is when:
1. When someone stops and asks you for directions.
“Wow that used to be me…here, let me show you around, I totally know how to navigate this place now. I’m a pro. This is OSH, the building everyone hates, but hey it’s getting torn down! Oh, and over here is the Marriott Library…ya know, the first copy of Alice in Wonderland is in there…”
2. You Almost Cried When We Lost Against USC
“Yeah dad, I know there will be bigger disappointments in life but this still cuts deep…I mean I don’t know anything about football but now that I’m a Ute, it’s more than just looking at the boys in their uniforms…”
3. When You Get Pleasure From Wearing Your Ute Sh*t in Provo
“Cougars are no longer just animals or older women to you, they’re the enemies down south.”
4. You Hike to the U and Realize it’s Not That Great but You Don’t Even Care
“I didn’t think this was so steep…”
5. When You’re Too Drunk to Realize You Just Had a Convo With The Crazy Lady in the Bathroom…
“Hey, at least we didn’t fangirl!”
6. When You Can’t Help But Hum The Fight Song to Yourself Over to the Pie After a Win
“We’ll fight for dear old Crimson for a Utah Man Am I! GO UTES!”
These are moments every Ute will have in her time here. But the best moment is saved for last…
It’s the feeling you get when you meet an alumni and realize you’re connected because you’ve both been touched by the U. You may be strangers but you’ve shared the chance to embrace everything that the U represents: the friends, the experiences, and the lessons you learned. Who cares if you failed a class or never joined the student government? You are here and above all else; you’re a Ute for the rest of your life!