Tennessee Tech graduating senior prepares to pass the torch as Awesome Eagle mascot
Tennessee Tech senior Zarria Clark is photographed in her commencement gown holding
the top half of her Awesome Eagle costume. Clark will pass the torch on her mascot
duties following her Dec. 13 graduation from Tech with a degree in studio art.
Tennessee Tech University senior Zarria Clark has delighted packed crowds of Golden
Eagle fans for the last two and a half years – but audiences had no idea it was her.
The Knoxville area native, who will graduate Dec. 13 with a degree in studio art from
the university’s School of Art, Craft & Design, was selected to inhabit the role of
Tech’s beloved mascot, Awesome Eagle, during her sophomore year.
Clark recalls that tryouts for the position took place while she was on a family vacation,
so she resorted to emailing a video audition filmed in her front yard.
“There I was recording a video of me acting out the role of Awesome Eagle and neighbors
were watching, cars were passing by … it was a sight to see,” Clark said with a laugh.
Awesome Eagle’s identity is always a closely guarded secret, but now, with her graduation
imminent, Clark is ready to share her journey playing the iconic character.
“I can express myself in ways on campus that I would normally be shy to do, in front
of big groups of people,” Clark explains. “I think just being able to make a group
of people happy, entertained, and engaged is something I am called to do.”
Clark, who previously played the mascot at Carter High School in Strawberry Plains,
Tenn., initially enrolled at Tech because she liked the university’s welcoming campus
feel and ideal enrollment size.
“It’s easy to get more involved at Tech because it’s not too overwhelmingly huge,”
she explained. “I can walk around campus and see people I know.”
During her sophomore year, Clark saw Awesome Eagle on campus and whispered her intentions
of one day playing the role herself. But true to their mascot duties, Awesome Eagle
did not audibly reply, instead acting out an exaggerated silent chuckle.
Over her years in the costume, Clark has not only taken part in nearly every major
campus event, she has also been a presence at off-campus happenings – including an
alumni wedding.
“Seeing how the Golden Eagle spirit lasts, even after students have graduated, really
made an impression on me,” she recalled.
As Clark prepares to retire her Awesome Eagle duties upon graduation, she is also
training her successor, who happens to be one of her best friends on campus.
“That has been really fun, getting to train him and teach him the role,” said Clark.
“It’s bittersweet, for sure, but it’s heartwarming to see him take that over.”
Looking ahead, Clark has bold aspirations for putting her studio art degree to use,
including dreams of eventually creating a communal space for artists of all disciplines
to collaborate and share their work – a WeWork of sorts, specifically for artists.
Clark, wearing the Awesome Eagle costume, is photographed in front of Fearless Falls
on Tech’s Centennial Plaza.
But would Clark ever return to mascotting post-graduation? She says, “100 percent.”
“If I can make a fool of myself in front of a crowd of people to make them happy,
that would be really cool,” she added.
The milestone changes in Clark’s life come as the university is fast approaching a
milestone of its own: the upcoming spring semester will mark 100 years as the Golden
Eagles.
Tech’s Athletic Association officially adopted the Golden Eagles moniker at a meeting
in 1925 that went through three rounds of selection, beating out other choices such
as the Tech Warriors, Mountain Eagles and Lions.
Now, as Clark gets ready to hang up her costume, she says she feels gratitude for
all that Tech gave her.
“Tech definitely gave me a better understanding of what I wanted to do with art. The
professors were really great about helping me narrow things down and understand my
creative freedoms,” she said. “But it also gave me such a great collection of friends.”
“It’s always hard to leave behind childhood friends and start over in college, but
everyone here is so friendly,” Clark added. “Tech gave me a feeling of being seen
and known.”