I was intrigued when I heard about the Mifflin Streak freshman year. Hundreds of people find comfort in stripping off their clothes and sprinting down Mifflin Road just for the sheer fun of it? I had to check it out.

I followed my curiosity and found myself in the tunnel of humans that spanned the whole length of Mifflin and I watched the continuous cycle of flapping genitalia. My roommate urged me to try as we gazed upon the first group of courageous streakers. “Dude, why not? I mean everyone else is doing it.”

Before I knew it, the magic of peer pressure had me taking all my clothes off and sprinting down the road. This first time fueled my ambition to complete the ‘quadfecta’ and partake in Penn State’s best tradition in each of my four years of college.

For most students who partake in the Mifflin Streak, the resounding answer of why they participate is the liberating sensation you feel while running. While most of us are presumably nestled into a book for hours on end leading up to finals week, the desire to do anything other than study is extremely high. And what better way to relieve yourself of stress than to run naked through a crowd of people?

For me, the best part about the Mifflin Streak is the tradition aspect. We are no strangers to the concept of tradition here at State. From singing the alma mater to the “We Are” chants, it’s ingrained in our nature. So when I’m sprinting and yelling at the top of my lungs, running past people I don’t know with their cameras pointed in the direction of my bare body, I can’t help but feel weirdly prideful. It’s a ridiculous and unusual tradition, but it’s something that again makes Penn State, Penn State.

In my sophomore and junior years, my confidence grew too. The masks and props were stripped, and my desire to go a second, third and even fourth time was too strong to pass up. I also (weirdly enough) made very good friends out of my Mifflin Streak mischief. I guess there’s a certain air about being naked together and then bonding over it. Who would’ve ever known.

I’m not going bore you with my sappy recollection of my naked saga on the Sunday before finals week. What I am going to say is this: The Mifflin Streak is something everyone should do. I’m not promoting the idea of public nudity, but I’m offering up the idea of becoming more connected to the university through its unconventional traditions. Try it at least once. It’s an experience that will bring you and your friends closer together and also will be another memory to tack on to your remembrance of college. So don’t let yourself regret not taking part in the Mifflin Streak. You don’t have to be naked, but seeing is believing — and trust me you will have nightmares. But it’s just all part of the Penn State experience.