The beloved Koala was named the official Columbia College mascot in the spring of 1976 when a student contest was held to choose a mascot that represents what Columbia College embodies as an institution. Koalas are a symbol of community, family, loyalty and stability much like our College throughout the years.
CeCe the mascot made an appearance in the early 2000s representing our student body and has become an important part of our College, providing excitement, energy and a “larger than life” personality to our college events. What’s not to love about CeCe?
Our furry companion is pretty great but we think it’s time to show CeCe some extra love by giving our adored mascot a little makeover! CeCe’s fur needs some pampering, we want to freshen up CeCe’s attire, and give a rest for a more youthful appearance.
Our goal of $10,000 will accomplish the following for CeCe:
- $7,000 will provide a new custom designed costume with custom attire. Gone are the days of giving CeCe a t-shirt to throw on.
- $3,000 will provide a $1,500 scholarship for two students to be our CeCe actors for a year.
Join us in making it possible to give CeCe some extra love with a mascot makeover!
Meet the new and improved CeCe...soon! Join us for CeCe's Reveal Reception on Friday, September 30 from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. on campus at Alumnae Hall. We hope you'll come celebrate the arrival of our new mascot with us!
RSVP by emailing Advancement@Columbiasc.edu.
784 days ago by Hope WatsonCeCe's Mascot Makeover campaign is complete and you helped us exceed our goal! With 82 donors and nearly $11,000 raised we are able to purchase a new customized costume and award stipends to two students to act as CeCe for the 2022-2023 Academic Year. The extra funds raised will be used to assist with dry cleaning and maintenance of the costume.
Thank you to all of you for showing up for CeCe and our Columbia College community! With a new mascot costume our events will be much more exciting and spirited. We can't wait to show-off the new and improved CeCe to all of you!
If you donated $150 or more to the campaign, be on the lookout in the coming months for an invitation to a special mascot reveal party for CeCe.
We are so appreciative of your support for Columbia College!
CeCe, our furry companion, has meant so much to the Columbia College community throughout the years! Let's take a look back at CeCe of the past and present, as we get ready to welcome a new era of our mascot friend!974 days ago by Hope Watson
As graduates of Columbia College, Sara (class of 2003) and Mary Jon Barrineau (class of 2006) remain deeply involved with their alma mater. Mary Jon even serves as a member of faculty at Columbia College in the Division of Social Sciences, teaching in the very classrooms where she was taught. Because of their late mother’s (Libby Nims Barrineau – class of 1980) involvement on campus the Barrineau sisters have known, loved, and been involved with Columbia College as long as they can remember. Mary Jon even describes the institution as “an extension of their family.”
Because of this very close relationship between Columbia College and the Barrineau family, CeCe means a lot to Mary Jon and Sara. According to Mary Jon, CeCe is the embodiment of Columbia College, a symbol of the life-long relationships built here and the joy and hope that those relationships signify. When the two heard about the campaign to give the precious CeCe the Koala a makeover, they knew this was the perfect tribute to their mom. This campaign seemed hand-picked to honor their mother because – of course she loved all things Columbia College (CeCe included) – but also, Libby was a driving force for creating and acquiring the first mascot for Dutch Fork High School when Sara and Mary Jon were students there. The two sisters feel confident that this is a project of which Libby would love to be a part.
To honor the memory of their beloved mother, Sara and Mary Jon have teamed up and committed a $1,000 Challenge Gift to help give CeCe her much needed makeover for her infectious, loving spirit to live on. Sara shared that honoring their mother in this way allows for their friends and family to be involved as well. Sara shared, “Mom spent so much time loving on my friends in college, and I’ll never forgot how sad my friends were when she passed away in 2007. They were obviously sad for me to have lost my mom, but they all had reasons they were sad for themselves, memories they’d shared with mom (some I didn’t know about), and things they would miss about her!”
It is clear that the Barrineau family is committed to upholding the spirit of Columbia College through CeCe. Mary Jon says, “CeCe and this campaign represent hope and potential. There is always a way to change that takes all your best qualities and builds on them for an even better version of yourself.” This sentiment certainly holds true for our much-loved CeCe as well as the Columbia College student body and the bright future ahead for every student. It is our hope that this campaign and its outcome serves to preserve not only the spirit of CeCe, but also the memory of our dear friend Libby Nims Barrineau.
987 days ago by Hope Watson