A colorful Sun Devil spirit

Throughout the semester, a select group of ASU freshmen will be blogging about their first year as Sun Devils. In the same way that graduation serves as a milestone marker for both students and the university, the freshman year experience is one of significant formation as it sets the foundation for academic excellence. 

Mark's blog:

The number of colors the human eye can perceive is vast – 10 million at its highest estimate. From cerulean to sienna and lavender to lilac, we perceive the spectrum of color in all its alluring brilliance. The sea foam green sooths our nerves, the scarlet impassions and navy sharpens our wits. Depending on the hue and who, colors can come to embody different significances for us all. Since my university undertakings have begun, a few colors have emerged and engrained themselves here in the Valley of the Sun.

White is renewal, a clean slate. It's the color that represents the beginning of something fresh; white welcomes you with arms outstretched. White was the color we painted the giant "A" on A mountain during Fall Welcome week. It will be the color we see each year when we turn our eyes northward and glimpse the alpha symbol atop the mountain. A white “A”; each time a new beginning.

The hue of gold inspires and delights, brightens and incites; it is a beacon of joy and excitement. Though we have yet to pack Sun Devil Stadium clad in a rich display of pitchfork pride, Wells Fargo Arena has already been christened with our school spirit and booming voices. During the Sun Devil Welcome event, a sea of our golden-dressed bodies epitomized the unbelievable thrill of what it means to be a Sun Devil on game day, or any day.

The colors white and gold will begin to change for us all in time. One day they will represent the start of grad school, careers or even marriage. One thing is for sure, though. Right now they mean everything it is to be an Arizona State Sun Devil. Let it echo from the buttes! Give ‘em hell, Devils!

Mark Krystinak is an incoming freshman who is majoring in biological sciences. He is originally from Schaumburg, Ill.