Jumbo shrimp? Tomatoes? Vote to help Technical College of the Lowcountry pick a mascot

Mary Dimitrov
·2 min read

A costumed vegetable or crustacean could be walking around the Technical College of the Lowcounty’s campus next year.

Jumbo shrimp, loggerheads, tides and tomatoes are the final four options for TCL’s first-ever mascot, and the public will decide the winner by voting on the school’s website.

One vote per person can be cast for the final four options, which were selected by TCL’s marketing team from hundreds of submissions from students, alumni, employees, and community members.

“Submissions were narrowed down to a set of finalists based on vote count and criteria such as the mascot’s uniqueness, its connection to TCL and the community and/or its ‘fun factor,’” according to the website.

Tomatoes a local tomato stand.
Tomatoes a local tomato stand.

The winner will be announced late this summer with a fully developed design and logo. In 2024, students can expect a costumed mascot around campus. Though the school doesn’t have any sports teams, the mascot will also be on merchandise including stickers, T-shirts and bumper stickers as well as marketing materials.

High winds snapped pilings and blew these shrimp boats off the dock at Village Creek on St. Helena.
High winds snapped pilings and blew these shrimp boats off the dock at Village Creek on St. Helena.

The college hasn’t had a mascot since it was formed as the Mather School, in 1868 for the daughters of freed enslaved people. Now, it has four campuses, including a standalone culinary school and an upcoming workforce training center. The state of South Carolina acquired the school in 1968 as a trade school and it eventually became one of the state’s 16 technical colleges.

A loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Hunting Island.
A loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Hunting Island.

About half of the state’s technical colleges have mascots. They include mascots like the Central Carolina Technical College Titans and the Horry-Georgetown Technical College Gators. The marketing team eliminated mascot ideas already in use by another area college or school.

Along with each of the final four options, TCL provides a blurb about their significance to the Lowcountry.

Here is the link to vote: https://www.tcl.edu/mascot