The College Seal

My first year at university, my school bookstore had a sale. Ten or fifteen percent off anything with the college seal on it. Seal, as in the fancy logo used to make collegiate documents official. 

Meanwhile, I had had my eyes on the bookstore stuffed animal section since first semester. There was a collection of mostly bears wearing bandanas. There was also a seal. Seal, as in the carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammal.

I picked up the seal and showed it to my friend, “Do you think they’d give me the discount?” 

It started as a joke. But as I held the seal and looked into his beaded little eyes, I knew I wanted him and I figured why not? 

“Hi, does this qualify for the seal discount?”

“It has to have the seal on it. Does it have the seal?”

“Oh no… it doesn’t. But like he is a seal. Like, he’s a college seal.” 

“Oh. Well. Yeah I guess that’s fine. You know what, yeah… that counts. Here let me ring that up for you.”

I still have Duke the seal. And everytime I look at him, he acts as a reminder to just ask. The worst they can say is no. 

It’s a simple, silly idea—that this stuffed animal seal (and the maybe $2 I saved) could mean so much. But I think it serves as an important reminder to be unafraid to put ourselves out there and to go after what we want. You might leave with a plushie and two bucks… or you might just change your life.