I remember the day I got my WSU acceptance letter. I remember being weirdly excited in a way that I just wasn't excited about with other schools. That was somewhere around three years ago and I had no idea what I was getting myself into and what I was about to experience. But let me tell you something, being a Coug is an experience, and it's one that is special.

My first day of orientation I remember my counselor telling me about this thing that had happened to him where he was in Florida wearing a Coug sweatshirt and someone said "Go Cougs" to him. I was a wee little pre-freshman and I thought "wow, how strange, it probably doesn't happen that often." But it does happen. There are Cougs everywhere and that's part of the experience. That's part of what makes it cool.

Being a Coug is like being a part of this huge family with members that have done incredible things. Members that you don't even know and you get so excited when you meet them. Cougs take care of Cougs, no matter what. You may have nothing else in common with a person but just being a Coug is enough, you don't need anything else.

I know personally, every time someone asks me if I go to WSU or says "Go Cougs" it makes my heart so happy. My favorite encounter happened a couple of weeks ago. I was at work and I was wearing a WSU sweatshirt. I work at a coffee shop and the sweetest lady came to get coffee from me, it was about six in the morning and I was exhausted. The second I opened the window she practically yelled "Go Cougs" at me. I was basically asleep and it took a couple of seconds to register but once I said it back she sat there for 30 minutes and talked with me about school, about how she had gone to school at WSU and how her son went there now. It made me so happy I cried. I have so many stories like this.

I don't even think that lady asked me my name before launching into a conversation because it didn't matter. All that mattered was that we had that one commonality and it made all the difference. I am so thankful that I get to be a part of this community, that it's one that takes care of each other, one that once you're part of it, you don't get to leave. Though I'm not sure why you would ever want to.

I never imagined that going to WSU and being a Coug would be like this, that it would be such an experience. It definitely is, though, and it's one that I wouldn't trade for the world. Because there is something special about Washington State University, something special about Pullman and, of course, there is something special about being a Coug.