Florida State College at Jacksonville has a new mascot — Manta Ray.
FSCJ announced the selection May 10 as part of its commencement ceremony. Graduates received Manta Ray rally towels after accepting their diplomas.
In its search for a mascot, the college started with a list of 25 potential names in October, with the public voting to narrow the list to three.
Manta Ray topped Kraken and Sea Dragon in a vote in January and February. Nearly 20,000 people voted.
“We cannot thank the community enough for their involvement,” FSCJ President John Avendano said in a news release. “We often say FSCJ is ‘the community’s college’ so we wanted to be sure we selected a mascot that everyone would connect with and help us build on that energy. The Manta Ray was a perfect choice for us, and we cannot wait to see the symbol on shirts, hats, uniforms, signage and more.”
FSCJ will incorporate Manta Ray across its campus and athletics programs. A mascot costume is in development and will be in use for the 2024-25 season.
FSCJ says it has nearly 40,000 students and awards more than 5,500 degrees and certificates a year.