WORCESTER—When the final whistle blew on Super Bowl Sunday, Quinsigamond Community College President Dr. Luis Pedraja knew he had a wardrobe change coming.
Following a friendly wager with North Seattle College President Dr. Rachel Solemsaas, Pedraja agreed to wear the winning team’s apparel if his hometown New England Patriots fell short. After this year’s loss, he made good on the bet, posing in Seattle football gear for a photo shared on QCC’s social media channels, according to a college announcement released Feb. 13.
Ahead of the game, the two presidents created the collegial bet as a way to engage their campuses during Super Bowl season. The agreement called for the losing president to sport the victor’s colors and share the moment publicly.
“Our Patriots may not have made it this time, but at QCC we celebrate excellence in all its forms,” Pedraja said in a statement. “Today, that means celebrating the Seattle Seahawks and having a little fun with it. Sharing moments like this with our community college colleagues reminds us that collaboration is about more than just the work, it’s about connection. Our partnership with North Seattle and President Solemsaas even came with a bit of levity.”
The lighthearted competition drew participation from students, faculty, staff and alumni at both institutions, with supporters rallying around their NFL teams and their colleges.
“My good friend Dr. Pedraja’s new Seahawks outfit is a real winner! Congratulations to the team at QCC and the New England Patriots on a fantastic season,” Solemsaas said in the announcement. “We’ve had a lot of fun with this friendly Super Bowl wager and appreciate the sportsmanship shared between the North Seattle College Tree Frogs and the awesome Wyverns. All of us here in the upper lefthand corner of the country are in celebration mode, and the party isn’t about to end any time soon. Go Seattle. Go Seahawks!”
