4th-grader got bullied for homemade University of Tennessee shirt - the university had perfect plan for him

If something is done wholeheartedly, it never goes to waste. There is always some rewarding experience that follows. For a student from Altamonte Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, things turned into a wholesome and echoing reward after he tried his best to display his team spirit for his favorite college, as per CNN. His teacher, Laura Snyder, shared a post on Facebook to elaborate on the same. The teacher mentioned that her school participated in “College Colors Day” where students were expected to wear their favorite college or university apparel to celebrate their achievements. The little boy knew what he wanted and made an adorable effort to show up in a unique shirt, but he was mocked. However, things took an artsy turn when his favorite university stepped up for him. 

The student, whose name and face have not been revealed to respect his privacy, was obsessed with the University of Tennessee. Their color was orange and the boy was excited to represent them. Snyder recalled the boy sharing that he didn’t have the university apparel and suggested he wear the color of the university - orange. “He told me every day leading up to it that he had an orange shirt that he was going to wear. So, when the day finally arrived, he was so excited to show me his shirt. I was impressed that he took it one step further to make his own label,” she wrote in her post. She shared a picture of the homemade shirt, in which it was visible that the little boy had creatively drawn the initials of the university, “U” and “T,” on a sheet of paper and had pasted that messy yet passionate piece of work on his T-shirt. 

Snyder noticed the boy crying later on the same day and learned that other students had made fun of the work he had so diligently done. “He was devastated,” she noted. In good spirits, the teacher wanted to do something nice for the boy and shared his story, asking to be connected with the University of Tennessee. With the kindness and overwhelming support of the community, the message reached its intended recipient and the university responded. “My student will be receiving an awesome care package from the University of Tennessee,” Snyder shared an update in her post, after thanking everyone for hyping up the post and her student. With a counter full of merchandise, the university gave the boy more than he had ever wished for - original university T-shirts, jerseys, backpacks, stationery and so much more. They also sent him notes thanking him for his creativity and support. 

However, this was not the end of it. The university added one more mind-boggling element to their gesture. The teacher mentioned in her post that the university decided to turn the student's “U.T.” design into their official T-shirt. “When I told him that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped. He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew today!” she wrote.

Even the president of the University of Tennessee System, Randy Boyd, shared a post on X to express how much he "loved the kid's imagination behind designing his own shirt."

Finally, the T-shirt arrived, and in a post shared by the university on X, the quirky "U.T." design was proudly displayed. “Share in a Florida elementary student's Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too!” the caption read. The little boy’s dedicated effort found a victorious and memorable ending.