YoUDee surprising alumni with invitations to Alumni Weekend: youtube.com/watch?v=fLnUovXPdhE

Alumni reunion surprise

Article by Joe Whelan Photo and video by Joe Whelan April 25, 2019

UD mascot YoUDee surprises alumni with reunion invitations for Alumni Weekend

Tywanda Cuffy, University of Delaware Class of 2004, took one look at the nearly seven-foot tall blue box, adorned with a yellow bow, and immediately struck an expression straddling amusement and fear.

The box, sitting in the front lobby at the Morris Library, where Cuffy works, was waiting for her as a “special delivery” from the UD Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

As she crept closer, a sea of blue box parts exploded when Blue Hens mascot YoUDee burst out with a personal invitation for Cuffy to attend her 15th college reunion during Alumni Weekend 2019, June 7-9.

In UD’s countdown to its annual Alumni Weekend, Cuffy was part of a trio of reunion-year alumni to receive surprise visits from YoUDee with a special invitation to attend reunion celebrations.

University of Delaware mascot YoUDee prepares to surprise some unsuspecting alumni who are celebrating class reunions on June 8, 2019.

“When we told our alumni they’d be receiving a delivery from the University, I don’t think they anticipated this,” said Marianne Lazarski, associate director of alumni engagement at UD. “We wanted to do something a little bit different to get people excited about their upcoming reunions, because we think that’s worth being excited about.”

Lazarski helps coordinate with an ever-growing group of reunion ambassadors, alumni that help spread the word about their reunion celebration and assist with planning a special event for their classmates. Alumni Relations hosts 11 reunions that take place during Alumni Weekend. Class Reunion Celebrations happen on a quinquennial basis, every five years, from the 5th to 50th reunion. In addition, UD holds a first-year reunion for those that graduated the previous year.

“We have 59 ambassadors this year,” she said. “We love working with them, not only because of their passion for UD, but because of their excitement to come back to campus and reconnect with their classmates. It is so fun to hear the many UD stories through the class years!”

Mark Manniso, a member of the Class of 1984, now has a story for life thanks to the University’s surprise delivery.

“It’s not every day I get this large blue box with the tail feather of the fantastic YoUDee sticking out of it,” he said. “It was great to see him out there, it was so cool to be surprised.”

Abby Hidalgo, a Class of 2018 graduate readying for her first weekend as a “returning” Blue Hen, also received a surprise visit from YouDee. Hidalgo — who is pursuing a master’s of speech language pathology at UD — said she sees Alumni Weekend as an opportunity to visit with friends and relive her college years.

“I can’t believe it’s been almost a year,” she said with a smile. “Having everyone back in the place we love is so exciting.”

As for receiving her invitation via Carrier Hen?

“It was just a big, big surprise for me, it was incredible,” she said.

Alumni Weekend 2019 is Friday-to-Sunday, June 7-9, with reunion celebrations on Saturday, June 8. Click here for a complete schedule of events and to register.

About University of Delaware Alumni Weekend

UD Alumni Weekend, now in its 11th year, attracts over 6,000 alumni annually to campus. This year’s event features over 60 activities, including Dela-bration, Brunch with UD Mascots and 11 class reunion celebrations. To register for Alumni Weekend 2019 please click here.

For more information on how to become a reunion ambassador for your class, email Marianne Lazarski at mlazar@udel.edu.