Young Boy Bullied for Homemade University of Tennessee Shirt Inspires New Shirt Design

By Kayla Kunkel September 7, 2019 at 8:11am

An elementary student in Florida was excited to show his support for the University of Tennessee on his school’s college colors day, but only had one problem: he didn’t own a t-shirt with the school’s name or mascot.

After talking to his teacher, he decided that a regular orange shirt would suffice but upon further thought decided to add a little flair of his own. Taking a piece of paper and a pen, the young boy creatively used his available resources to make his own logo design and attach it to his shirt.

The boy’s teacher, Laura Synder, later wrote on Facebook that she was proud of him for being creative and taking initiative. So when the young boy came into her room after lunch with tears rolling down his face, Synder was confused.

“He was SO EXCITED to show me his shirt. I was impressed that he took it one step further to make his own label. After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on on his desk and was crying,” she wrote.

“Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn’t even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt,” she continued. “He was DEVASTATED. I know kids can be cruel, I am aware that it’s not the fanciest sign, BUT this kid used the resources he had available to him to participate in a spirit day.”

A little disappointed, the teacher humbly reached out to people on Facebook to help make sure that her determined student would receive his very own University of Tennessee shirt.

Very quickly, however, the post went viral, eventually gaining the attention of the university itself.

TN——————?✈️—————> A young VFL in the Sunshine State

We’ve got you covered, Vol Nation.

— VolShop (@UTVolShop) September 5, 2019

Employees from several different campus departments gathered a large box of swag especially for the Florida student and his class.

Dale Brill, an alumnus from 1996, even paid to have the box of swag shipped overnight from “Good Ol’ Rocky Top” and delivered the goodies in person.

Several other alumni also sent gear and handwritten notes with encouraging messages to the young boy.

Another teacher even pinned her own “UT” signs to an orange shirt in support.

As the story continued to spread, the university’s campus store realized that many of its fans wanted to show their support as well so they made a new design, just like the design the Florida student drew just a week before.

It even shared that a portion of the proceeds from each shirt sold will go to STOMP Out Bullying, a nonprofit committed to reduce and prevent bullying across the country.

“Share in a Florida elementary student’s Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too,” the UT Vol Shop tweeted.

Share in a Florida elementary student’s Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too! Pre-order today for a late September expected delivery. A portion of proceeds from every shirt sold will be donated to @STOMPOutBullyng .https://t.co/NdnTtYREFL pic.twitter.com/OeTZvgC09Y

— VolShop (@UTVolShop) September 6, 2019

The student’s mother was extremely touched by the response from UT’s employees, alumni and fan base.

“I am overwhelmed by the love I feel from this extended community and the pride I feel for my son and for being a VFL,” the student’s mother wrote in a letter. “Every comment, item sent, and action taken on behalf of my son will never be forgotten and hopefully will serve as inspiration for him throughout his life.”

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