The second day of 2023 was filled with Penn State University related traditions for the McDermott family as Michael McDermott had been in California, celebrating not only his mother’s birthday but also a glorious victory.

Penn State had defeated Utah 35-21 at the last traditional Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Not only had McDermotts’ family been there to celebrate in the stadium, but Michael had been there to celebrate on the field in the Nittany Lion costume.

“The Rose Bowl has a deeper meaning because my mom’s birthday every year has been on the Rose Bowl,” McDermott said. “To actually be a part of technically the last traditional Rose Bowl game and win? It was just the greatest experience ever. It was a shining moment. I deserved that.”

Although that moment had been a defining moment in McDermott’s career as the Nittany Lion, his parents had supported him before then during the COVID-19 pandemic when he had to live stream things such as cooking, yoga, etc.

“They were producers, they really helped. My mom was like, ‘What do you cook?’ and like, ‘Whatever you need,’ but the toughest was not being able to fulfill the needs that Penn State had the way that I wanted to,” McDermott said.

McDermott gained a chance at the opportunity of becoming the Nittany Lion through a close friend and Penn State alum, Zach Sowa. McDermott and Sowa both graduated from Trinity High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

“He’s [Sowa] a brother from another mother. He’s the reason I’m in this position. He was really on me and told me to try out because there was nothing to lose. I was apprehensive, but he said ‘Go for it’,” McDermott said.

After becoming the Nittany Lion, McDermott learned and mastered many skills including but not limited to: one armed push-ups, crowd surfing, ice skating, walking on stilts, charades and others. McDermott also learned a skill many athletes tend to gain throughout playing a sport: discipline.

“Discipline equals freedom… I’ve learned that nobody needs to know my name. I’m just happy that I can provide the service of showcasing Penn State in the best light to others,” McDermott said.

Overcoming all of these obstacles, McDermott openly struggled although he was succeeding.

“I’m a person outside of everything. Outside of college, outside of school, outside of the army and outside of the lion. I’m still a person and I deal with stuff that every other student deals with, but it’s just harder for me to handle it internally because I’ve got 9000 things going on,” McDermott said, “The number one piece of advice I have is if you’re going through something don’t be afraid to talk to somebody.”

Passing the paw to the upcoming Nittany Lion, McDermott has expressed gratitude towards Penn State and plans on either using his degree or going to the army.

“The Nittany Lion is probably the greatest gift I’ve gotten from Penn State,” McDermott said.

On March 30, nine students of the Mountain Echo Newspaper and Horseshoe Yearbook staffs traveled to State College, PA. There, the students were able to meet and speak to McDermott in a press conference that was a part of the Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA) State Write-Off.

Competition categories had a range across many skill sets amongst yearbook, newspaper, literary magazine writing, picture taking and drawing.

“Him being actually there was great because he worded things very well. I expected him to be someone who doesn’t know how to interview, so when he answered beautifully I was like, ‘Oh my god this is going to be easy’,” junior Lillian Roberts said. “Then we actually got to the competition room to write and I was like ‘This doesn’t pertain to my style of writing at all. That kind of sucked, but the interview of him by itself was a nice breath of fresh air. He went into depth about everything, which was super good because it made things a little bit easier.”

Of the nine, students Makenzie Closson and Melissa Krainer placed first in their categories.