Before cherubs began, I browsed the online Northwestern Spirit Shop, but found no cute Medill merch. But the search was not over. The stores downtown had one T’shirt and one sweatshirt with the same design: all-caps, sans serif font, with “Northwestern” significantly larger than “Medill.”
I knew there was a Medill sweatshirt with lettering that looked like Times New Roman. I saw former cherubs at my high school wearing it. Their faces would light up whenever they noticed each other wearing it.
The day before our cherub class picture, program director Roger Boye displayed the sweatshirt of my dreams. I immediately snagged one.
Over the next few days, I frequently noticed the Medill logo with a period at the end. I would see it among the crowds of students walking to lectures in Fisk Hall. Boye also gifted guests with the garment. They used the logo to humorously identify us during questions.
When I spotted a twinning cherub on the Evanston streets, I’d shout, “Nice sweatshirt!”
The Medill merch unified us. It sounds a little lofty, but it’s true: We felt like young journalists who were learning to curiously pursue the truth.
Even when we return home (to over 20 states and four countries), the sweatshirt will always remind us of our mission and our forever community.
