{"id":224215,"date":"2024-05-14T12:05:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T16:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=224215"},"modified":"2025-01-02T10:11:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T15:11:23","slug":"montclair-mascots-unveil-secret-identities-at-commencement-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2024\/05\/14\/montclair-mascots-unveil-secret-identities-at-commencement-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Montclair Mascots Unveil Secret Identities at Commencement 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montclair State University graduate <\/span>Joseph Lepinski <\/strong><\/a>channeled both his popular online persona \u201cJersey Joe\u201d and his secret identity as Rocky the Red Hawk, wearing the school mascot\u2019s large yellow bird feet at Monday\u2019s Commencement at Prudential Center. When his name was called, Lepinski danced across the dais toward a smiling President Jonathan Koppell who shook his hand and patted him on the back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lepinski was one of four graduating <\/span>Team Rocky<\/strong><\/a> members, who carried on the tradition of revealing themselves as Rocky during Commencement. Although he and fellow Rocky and graduate Vanessa Fingerlin had both revealed their secret identities on their respective social media channels, they both wore big yellow feet with their graduation gowns to reveal their secret mascot identities to the morning Commencement attendees. At the afternoon ceremony, Eliza Andrus and Aylin Alvarez-Santiago revealed their undercover assignments of portraying Ricky, Rocky\u2019s odd cousin, by donning the mascot\u2019s oversized sneakers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>All four of these students have truly made their mark on the campus as members of Team Rocky,\u201d says Team Rocky Advisor Hannah Lindeblad \u201913. \u201cSome only have been on for a year, while others have been on since 2019. I am so proud of all of them and can’t wait to see what they do after they leave Montclair State University.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vanessa
Vanessa Fingerlin \u201924 let it fly that she was a proud Rocky while at Montclair. (Photo by Paul McGroarty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seeing Double: Rocky<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lepinski graduated with a <\/span>Bachelor of Science in\u00a0<\/span>Physical Education<\/strong><\/a> and Fingerlin earned a Bachelor of Arts in\u00a0<\/span>Educational Foundations for Elementary Teachers<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

J<\/span>ersey Joe and Montclair\u2019s social media team revealed Lepinski\u2019s Rocky persona on social media platforms on May 10. Lepinski shared four dance videos of himself dressed as Rocky, racking up almost 25 million views combined. A Commencement day video of him dancing as red and white confetti still floated in the air snagged 4 million views alone. Some followers and fellow students commented that they’d suspected he was Rocky all along, while others said they’d been completely fooled.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it!\u201d wrote Jennifer Lynn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo freakin\u2019 way,\u201d commented someone named Shakira.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monica Rolon said: \u201cThis actually makes A LOT of sense.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Physical Education Kristin Scrabis-Fletcher, who had Lepinski in class, says: \u201cJoe was always very high energy in class and eager to participate. He has tremendous energy which is infectious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That energy undoubtedly helped Lepinski juggle both his social media and academic careers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fingerlin had been toying with the idea of transferring from Montclair but then decided to take a leap of faith and apply to Team Rocky. \u201cI’ve always been tall (5’10”), so I was like, \u2018Why not do something to you know, show off my height?\u2019\u201d she recalls.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taller team members can wear the Rocky costume, while shorter ones often wear the Ricky garb. Fingerlin joined the team in 2019 but took a leave of absence from school during the 2020 pandemic. \u201cTeam Rocky was the anchor that brought me back,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The highlight for Fingerlin was performing with Montclair cheerleaders for their back-to-back championship titles in the Advanced Small Coed Division III competition at the National Cheerleaders Association & National Dance Association College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida, earlier this year. She recalls hiding her Rockydom by pretending she was helping the Cheer Team with social media. \u201cIt was really, really cool being on that stage and being able to be the first Rocky to go,\u201d she says, noting that it was Montclair\u2019s first time to attend in person in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

While she would have been happy to be more involved in the team\u2019s performance, the Rocky costume can be restrictive, she says, laughing. \u201cI really liked being able to stand in the middle of their pyramid and hype them up and rep MSU.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vanessa
Vanessa Fingerlin as Rocky onstage with Montclair\u2019s Cheer Team at their second National Championship-winning performance in Daytona Beach. (Photo courtesy of Vanessa Fingerlin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She also enjoyed hosting Rocky on the Street, for which she didn\u2019t have to don her Rocky suit. \u201cI had such an amazing time hosting,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Rocky duties kept the new graduate busy during the fall ’23 and spring ’24 semesters. Fingerlin says she had 125 shifts as either a handler or as Rocky, 42 of them this semester alone. \u201cI just love it. I love being able to work with people on the team and go out and do fun events like the football games, Accepted Student Day and anytime they\u2019ve got a DJ in the quad, I love being there. It\u2019s so much fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fingerlin, who is applying for elementary school jobs, says she\u2019s sad to say goodbye to being Rocky. \u201cI’m devastated. It’s heartbreaking,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a member of the team, \u201cI was able to watch myself grow into the person I am now, and Team Rocky has been such an anchor for me. It\u2019s definitely going to be a rough transition not being on the team anymore but I know there’s going to be so much change and so many new ideas, and I’m excited to see it grow. We have such a great alumni base, so I know that it’s more like a \u2018See you later\u2019 than a \u2018Goodbye.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Eliza
Graduate Eliza Andrus has fun revealing she was a handler and Ricky on Team Rocky. (Photo by University Photographer\u00a0Mike Peters<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ricky Times Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andrus, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in <\/span>Musical Theatre<\/strong><\/a>, wore Ricky\u2019s high-top sneakers with her Commencement gown. She joined Team Rocky in her sophomore year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With many family members in entertainment, including her uncle Joe Gatto, a founding cast member of <\/span>Impractical Jokers<\/span><\/em>, Andrus was destined to major in Musical Theatre. She knew she could do TV and movies and was initially focused on a Broadway career but found it less fulfilling than she imagined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Rocky opened up a whole new world of entertainment to her, she says. \u201cI discovered you can join Team Rocky, so I applied, I got on and that really just opened the door for sports entertainment. I would never have even known that I could do that professionally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrus already has mascot and announcer jobs lined up. She\u2019ll work as game emcee and mascot handler for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, a minor league baseball team. She says her T-shirt launching skills as part of Team Rocky will come in handy, as she will also be doing that in the future. She also works part time for the New Jersey Devils hockey team and for a character entertainment company, which provides costumed performers for events, such as birthday parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am very often found dressed as the princesses, as the superheroes, and I do a lot of mascotting for them. The mascot thing runs deep,\u201d she says, laughing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrus, who wears prescription glasses, likened wearing the Ricky costume to a \u201ctoddler\u2019s onesie\u201d and his head to \u201cwearing a baseball mask that’s made for a child and not an adult.\u201d Because there\u2019s no room for her glasses and she doesn\u2019t wear contacts, \u201cI was blind in more ways than one,\u201d Andrus says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The handlers are key to guiding the costumed team members, she says. \u201cThere is no room for anything but your nose in there. It\u2019s literally like this against your face,\u201d she says, placing her hand against her nose. \u201cYou can’t see, you can’t breathe, it’s horrible but the most fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Aylin
Graduate Aylin Alvarez-Santiago reveals she was Ricky and a handler on Team Rocky in her final year at Montclair State University. (Photo by Jada Bell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alvarez-Santiago spent only her final year at Montclair on Team Rocky. She served as\u00a0 Ricky, a handler and the camera person for Rocky on the Streets \u2013 not surprising given that she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in\u00a0<\/span>Film and Television<\/strong><\/a>. Because there is only one pair of Ricky high-top sneakers, Alvarez-Santiago borrowed Rocky\u2019s low top sneakers for her Commencement reveal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alvarez-Santiago remembers seeing Cousin Ricky at <\/span>Rocky\u2019s Birthday<\/strong><\/a> party celebrations and thinking, \u201cOh, this guy looks so weird, and he’s my height.\u201d It was then she decided, \u201cI want to be on this team to be him so bad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She got her chance and loved every minute of it. \u201cIt was hard to hear and navigate but I just loved hearing people ask, \u2018Who is that? What is his story?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cIt was just a fun time because they didn’t know it was me under there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who portray Ricky often come up with a signature quirk for the character. Alvarez-Santiago\u2019s was to walk away from people and then quickly turn and face the person. \u201cIt’s kind of to scare you a little but that was my favorite bit with Ricky,\u201d she says, adding that after seeing her reveal photos, she took a good look at Ricky\u2019s head. \u201cHe\u2019s a little creepy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although she was on Team Rocky for only a year, it was a busy one for Alvarez-Santiago, who racked up the most shifts during her final two semesters. She had three post-Commencement handling shifts, including coming back for Bloomfield College of Montclair State University\u2019s Commencement on May 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved my time and being that little freak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

PHOTO GALLERY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A
Vanessa Fingerlin had fun revealing her secret identity as Rocky. (Photo by Paul McGroarty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Eliza Andrus has fun in her Ricky costume during a photo shoot. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters<\/a><\/strong>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Aylin
Aylin Alvarez-Santiago holds a mini stuffed Rocky as part of her Team Rocky reveal. (Photo by Jada Bell.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Vanessa
Vanessa Fingerlin hugs a George Segal bronze statue wearing her Rocky costumed head outside of Susan A. Cole Hall. (Photo by Paul McGroarty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Aylin Alvarez-Santiago reveals her undercover identity as Ricky. (Photo by Jada Bell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Story by Staff Writer<\/span><\/em> Sylvia A. Martinez<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n