Throughout the past 50 years, many people have become part of Team Pete and taken on the role of the iconic UTEP mascot.
Emmanuel Bernal served as the Paydirt Pete from 2018 to 2023. His journey from high school to college mascot was filled with unforgettable experiences, challenges, and valuable lessons.
Bernal’s path to becoming Pete started at Pebble Hills High School, where he was the school’s mascot and had the opportunity to try out for the role.
“We were offered a tryout, and I, along with another mascot, decided to see what it was about,” said Bernal. “It was a fun opportunity, and I never expected it would lead me to become Pete.”
After a successful audition that included trying on the suit and performing in front of the UTEP cheerleaders, Bernal was chosen for the role.
Bernal shares that through his time being Pete, some of his favorite memories were traveling for football games, particularly a trip to Tennessee during his first year and performing as Pete in the New York City as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Being Pete opened the door for Bernal to experience and be involved in his college years in a unique way.
“Throughout the entire time I was Pete, I got to meet so many new people and I got to really get involved in my college years in a way that I didn’t expect,” said Bernal. “It was like a different side.”
Along with the joys of being Pete, there were challenges Bernal had to face, particularly the physical demands of the mascot suit.
“It’s a lot of physical tolls on you,” said Bernal. “You sweat a lot, and carrying around that weight can be a lot at times. To overcome that, I would join the cheerleaders in their workouts and that helped me like towards my last year as I was able to do a lot more because I was more physically fit.”
Time management was a key part of the role as handling Pete’s busy schedule, on top of other responsibilities was another challenge for Bernal.
“Pete is incredibly busy all year round and there was a time when it was only me and one other person doing it,” said Bernal. “Just that alone was like really challenging and being on top of your schoolwork and your events and you still have to keep your grades up and workouts.”
Bernal credited Pete’s handlers as key parts to his success in the role, as they were in charge of making sure he and Pete were taken care of by serving as his eyes and ears.
Being behind the face of UTEP, Bernal felt honored to be part of the university’s spirit, embodying a character that connected with students and fans alike.
“He’s almost like a local celebrity,” said Bernal. “The face people make when like they see Pete, especially young kids when we would visit schools throughout like the year, I feel like he is the essence of UTEP and showing we have a really good school here and it’s something to be excited about.”
The relationships he built with fellow mascots and cheerleaders were among his biggest takeaways from the experience.
“The family that you build with the other mascots and along with the cheerleaders, just the relationships that you built in that team was a big takeaway for me,” said Bernal.
After retiring the suit, he found that revealing his identity as Pete surprised many of his friends and family, who had no idea he was behind the mask.
“A lot of people were really like surprised because I’m not like a crazy outgoing person like that,” said Bernal. “ It’s truly a different character whenever I was in Pete, but I would always get a really positive reaction.”
Now a graduate with a degree in civil engineering, Bernal looks back fondly on his time as Paydirt Pete and encourages others to consider the role.
“If you have any interest in becoming Pete, just go for it and don’t be scared because the good thing about being a mascot is nobody knows who’s under there,” said Bernal. “There’s a lot of freedom in being silly and dancing and being a completely different person.”
For those aspiring to one day be behind the iconic mascot, Bernal’s encourages them to embrace the opportunity, enjoy the ride, and bring happiness to others.
Ximena Cordero is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]
