Teresa Soldner told her classmates that during her time at Syracuse University — both as a cartoon character and as a student — she has learned a lot about what it means to ‘be Syracuse.’

‘It’s an exhausting job, but it’s absolutely worth it,’ said Soldner, who served as SU’s mascot Otto the Orange.

Soldner, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, delivered the speech from the 2011 University Scholars on Sunday morning as part of the SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s commencement ceremony. She recounted what she had learned from her time as Otto, during which she helped freshmen move in, attended Relay for Life and participated in Say Yes to Education.

There are good reasons why Otto has made both best and worst mascot rankings, Soldner said. The rankings for worst mascot come from those who look to mascots to be intimidating, she said. But that misses the point. Otto is different from other school mascots because he gives students a chance to be goofy.

‘For those of you who question an orange as your school mascot, know that an orange has a lot more to teach you and is much more original than just another husky or wildcat,’ she said.

Soldner told graduates the five life lessons Otto has shared with her, and members of the audience began to cheer and clap.

Number one, she said, is ‘most things in life aren’t worth taking too seriously.’ Otto encourages mischief to help get through the stress of studying for exams and lack of sleep.

But that does not mean to slack off — Otto’s second rule is to keep dedication a priority, no matter how much stress or how little sleep, she said.

As Otto, Soldner said she had to figure out how to express herself without speaking. Most students experience a similar problem trying to express themselves when they first come to campus.

‘When you were learning the lingo of your new major, I was desperately trying to make jokes without saying a word,’ Soldner said after she introduced the third rule, which is that finding new ways of expression is hard.

Each Otto has one experience that stands out from the others, Soldner said. For her, it was a time when she was ‘Otto-ing across the Quad.’ She paused to joke with a student on crutches and then grabbed the next person she saw in a hug.

When Soldner let go, the student looked at her very seriously and told her she had no idea how much he needed the gesture. She used the story as an example that even the smallest act of kindness can make a difference, and she said Otto’s fourth lesson is to know the power of breaking social boundaries and how it can touch someone.

Before she came to SU and before she became Otto, Soldner said the color orange meant no more than it was hunting season for her father. Now, the color means home to her and so many others, she said. That is Otto’s fifth lesson — after graduating from SU, ‘the word orange will never be the same.’

‘Otto wants you to know that a bad apple can ruin the barrel,’ Soldner said. ‘But there is no such thing as a bad orange.’

dkmcbrid@syr.edu

Published on May 14, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride