EAST LANSING, Mich. - More than 10,000 students graduated from Michigan State University this past weekend, but three of those graduates crossed the stage carrying a secret they had kept for three years — they were the people inside the iconic Sparty mascot.
WATCH BELOW: GRADUATING SPARTYS REFLECT ON THEIR TIME AT MSU
John Morrison, Noah Vermeulen, and Mitch Mills each served as Sparty during their time at MSU and kept their roles hidden from nearly everyone in their lives until graduation made it official.
Morrison, a human biology major, said he almost never applied for the role at all.
"I never really expected it to happen to be honest," Morrison said.
"I kind of just applied randomly and it was the last day to put in an application, so I just threw one on there," Morrison said.
For Vermeulen, keeping the secret meant holding part of himself back from the people closest to him.
"People that really just wanted to know me well, to have that barricade up of you don't know this side of me," Vermeulen said.
Mills, a construction management major, said the physical demands of wearing the suit pushed him to his limits.
"The heat is the big thing, definitely in the summer time. Making sure we're hydrated throughout the entire time is key for everything," Mills said.
Despite the physical toll, Morrison said one moment made it all worthwhile. He described his final event at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, where he encountered a young boy who was in containment and could not have visitors.
"I went up to the window and put my hand up to it, and he put his hand up to the window too," Morrison said.
Walking across the graduation stage this past weekend made the secret public and closed a chapter for all three. For Vermeulen, the moment felt almost unreal.
"It felt surreal, because I had spent three years trying to not let people find out. And all of a sudden I'm walking in the boots," Vermeulen said.
As they move on, all three said the meaning of Sparty extends far beyond the costume.
"Sparty is the face of the university, right, and I feel the joy and the love to everyone no matter the time period that's going on," Mills said.
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