Hey there, friend. Welcome to Highlander Magazine! My name is Mady Koller, and I’m the managing editor for this lovely publication. We’re new on the block, so I think an introduction is in order.
Let’s start with how we got our name.
You see, back in the ‘60s, a group of Utah State University students moved to make the university’s official mascot the “Highlanders” in an effort to show that USU had become more than an agriculture college. According to history, the name was a nod to our longstanding “ideological tie to Scotland,” which was largely a result of our setting “on a hill in a high mountain valley.¹” The Scotsman is also a product of this tie, though it caught on a lot better than the Highlanders.
Now, you’re probably saying, “Well, that sure is neat Mady, but we’re the Aggies now. Get with it.”
Alright, so maybe we were never officially the Highlanders, but the ideals live on!
Thanks to a certain Mel Gibson movie (*cough* “Braveheart”), the Highlands of Scotland are most commonly known for their clans. These fiercely loyal and tight-knit groups controlled the North of Scotland. The Highlanders fought for their land, their language, and their people. They were dedicated to preserving their culture.
I can’t think of one school that this applies to more than Utah State University. We are fiercely proud of and loyal to our Aggie name; no matter where you go in the world, that white and blue ‘A’ is the mark of a friend.
It is my hope that as you flip through the pages of this magazine, you will feel the sense of pride that we have for our land, our culture, and our people. That’s what Highlander Magazine is all about.
We may be Aggies in name, but we’re all Highlanders at heart.
—M
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_Aggies