Rowdy Raider isn’t first — or last — mascot role for WSU grad
Like Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, Carly Blessing had a secret, one she’s kept for two and a half years.
By day, Blessing is a Wright State University student. When not in class, she has an alter ego in which she does good deeds.
Blessing donned the cos- tume and headpiece of Wright State’s ubiquitous mascot, Rowdy Raider. That came to an end when Blessing, a senior majoring in fine arts with a concentration in pho- tography, graduated last Sat- urday.
But that end means the beginning of the next step in he progression of being a cos- tumed character that started when she was in eighth grade.
She enrolled in Wright State in 2021 as a sophomore after transferring from Indiana University East when she and her family moved to Miamisburg from Indiana.
She attended a Wright State open house and found some courses she was interested in.
“I always liked fine art and photography and am interested in graphic design,” she said.
Soon afterward, Blessing saw a video about Rowdy Raider and reached out to the Athletic Department to audition.
“For the audition, I had to think of a routine, come up with songs to dance to, learn the school fight song,” she said. “It was so much fun. A few days after the tryout I got the part.”
She gleefully recalled her first event. “It was a volley- ball game,” she said. “I stood on the side and interacted with the fans.”
Following that came a series of appearances at men’s and women’s home basket- ball games, baseball games, Wright State open houses, April Craze and others. As Rowdy she cheered on the baseball team when it played the University of Dayton at Day-Air Ballpark — “I wore a baseball uniform” —and the women’s basketball team in a Horizon League tournament game in Indianapolis.
“My favorite thing to do is interact with fans and stu- dents, especially kids,” Bless- ing said. “I like to give them high fives and hugs.”
Along with being silent as she performs as Rowdy, Bless- ing is also secretive. When someone asks her who she is, she politely shakes her head no.
The mystery ended during a break in the men’s basket- ball team’s final home game when Blessing and the members of the Competitive Cheer and Dance Teams were intro- duced and thanked publicly.
One thing Blessing is not secretive about is her desire to continue as a costumed character.
After graduation, she will work at Disney World in Flor- ida with the likes of Mickey and Minnie and all the other characters.
Last year, she participated in an internship with the Disney College Program in sales at Epcot. This year, she is up for a role in attractions, as a photopass photographer or character attendant. Blessing will not know which job she is assigned until shortly before she arrives in Orlando in June.
She hopes to work as a character attendant, who are Disney employees that accompany the costumed characters.
“My main goal,” she said, “is to be a character performer.”
Her suggestion for anyone who aspires to succeed her as Rowdy: “Someone who has an outgoing personality, likes to dress up in a costume, get hot and sweaty, has a lot of energy, likes to interact with kids, fans, other students and keep your identity a secret.”