There are some people you meet on campus and remember. And then some people become part of the campus itself. For years, NWU students knew him simply as Eagi, the purple-feathered face of university spirit who appeared at orientation events, sports matches, graduations, and countless campus moments. He danced, cheered, celebrated, hugged students, rallied crowds and, somehow, always seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

But behind the suit was Nathan: a full-time student, gamer, former rapper and singer, karate enthusiast, confessed introvert and, ironically, someone who says he is very shy and doesn't do well in crowds. So, how did someone like Nathan end up becoming one of the most recognisable personalities on campus? As it turns out, it started rather casually.

“Let’s Apply.”

Nathan's journey to becoming Eagi wasn't the result of some lifelong dream or carefully planned career move. He and a friend spotted a flyer at TD residence and decided, almost on a whim, to apply.

“I sent a video of me dancing, and I ended up getting shortlisted,” he recalls. Then came the interview. And Nathan got cold feet. “I decided not to go for the interview.”

That could have been the end of the story. Except it wasn't. Later that evening, Nathan received a call telling him that he needed to come for training. “When I got there, I was like, yho! Am I going to survive this? But in no time, I fell in love with everything.” And just like that, Nathan began a journey that would become one of the most memorable chapters of his student life.

The First Time Behind the Mask

Becoming Eagi wasn't immediately easy. The first time Nathan put on the suit and stepped in front of a crowd, the nerves were very real.

“I was really scared because I knew what head I have on and what I am representing,” he says. And one thought kept running through his mind: “Am I going to be enough?”

That question says a lot about what it means to wear the Eagi suit. Because while the person inside the costume may be anonymous, the character itself carries something much bigger. For Nathan, that responsibility became increasingly meaningful.

“The role meant representing something so much bigger than me.” That realisation changed the way he approached every interaction.

“I always went the extra mile with every interaction I did because I knew what Eagi meant to everyone at NWU.” And perhaps that is why leaving the suit behind has been so difficult.

“The feeling never changed but got more powerful, and I think that's why it's so hard for me to move on,” Nathan expressed.

Eagi's Secret Superpowers

Being Eagi looks like fun from the outside. And, according to Nathan, it absolutely is. But there is a lot about being inside the suit that people never see.

For starters: the heat. “It’s very hot, yes,” Nathan admits.

But apparently, your body learns to adapt. More surprisingly, the suit changes the way you experience the world around you. “The suit unlocks so many of your senses, and you get to realise them as time goes.” Hearing becomes particularly important. “There is so much going on around you, and you have to pay attention.”

And then there is the adrenaline. Nathan describes a rush he would feel at events, something almost impossible to explain unless you've experienced it.

“You get this certain rush in your veins when you’re at an event.” Even after taking off the suit, that feeling stayed with him. “Ever since I stepped out of the suit, I have been looking for that rush that the suit gave me.” If that isn't a superhero origin story, we're not sure what is.

The Five-Year-Old Inside the Suit

So, how exactly does someone become Eagi? Nathan says there is a mindset involved. “You need to let go and become the five-year-old you used to be.”

No worries. No stress. No overthinking. Just joy.

“You cannot be Eagi if you don't enjoy being happy and expressing your true self and letting that inner child in you go wild.”

For Nathan, being Eagi became more than a role. “It was therapy for me.” And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about the character. Inside the suit, Nathan could be completely uninhibited, loud, playful, expressive and joyful. Even though the person underneath was anything but.

“I am very shy and don't do well in crowds,” he says. Yes, you read that correctly! Eagi was shy. Unbelievable right?

The Moment He Will Never Forget

Nathan has countless memories from his time in the suit, but one particular moment stands out. It wasn't a packed stadium or a massive sporting victory.

It was planting a tree. Near the Bib Grass on Potchefstroom Campus, Nathan helped plant a tree alongside Prof Balia and former SCC Chairperson Ruben.

At the time, it may have seemed like just another campus activity. But Nathan sees something much bigger in it: “When I revisit the campus after many years, the tree will be so big and I will be reminded of all the moments I had in the suit.” It is a fitting metaphor for his time as Eagi. Something was planted, and it continues to grow.

Ask Nathan about his favourite occasion as Eagi, and there is no hesitation. Varsity Cup!

For him, the atmosphere transformed the experience completely. “I felt like we were at war.” Inside the suit, Nathan felt as though he was leading the charge, keeping the “Purple Army” going regardless of the score. And then came the 2022 Varsity Cup final. NWU won; Nathan cried inside the suit.

“I cried inside the suit when we won the Varsity Cup in 2022.” He remembers hugging the players and believes they could feel just how proud he was of them.

“I cried a couple of times in the suit, but that Varsity Cup final was very emotional, and it was my first Varsity Cup.” For someone who spent so much time making other people smile, there were moments when the emotions became too big to contain, even behind a mask.

When Things Don't Go According to Plan

Being Eagi also meant learning to think quickly. Especially when things went wrong. Nathan remembers one particular incident at a workers' final event in 2024.

He was dancing on stage when he grabbed a standing microphone. Then he knocked it over. As the microphone began to fall, Nathan caught it. Instead of panicking, he turned the accident into part of the performance, dancing with the microphone as though it had all been intentional.

“Even the team was like, oh, that was cool.” Classic Eagi! Sometimes the best moments are the ones nobody planned.

The Student Behind the Superhero

What many people didn't realise was that while Eagi was showing up everywhere, Nathan was also trying to complete his own student journey. Lectures, assignments, studying.

And then becoming a university mascot with seemingly unlimited energy. Nathan describes the experience as being like a “friendly neighbourhood superhero”.

His classmates would sometimes tell him stories about meeting Eagi before class, completely unaware that they were talking to the person sitting next to them.

“I would see that reaction, and it made me focus even more on my free time because I saw how much it meant to them.” Despite the demands of the role, Nathan managed to keep both sides of his life moving forward.

Today, he can proudly say that he earned two qualifications and graduated in record time. Being Eagi didn't stop him from being a serious student. If anything, it pushed him further, “For me, it was about what I bring to the student and everyone in the university more than for myself. Their smiles and happiness were my reward.”

The People Behind Eagi

No superhero story is complete without a team. Nathan says his team became incredibly important to him, particularly during the tougher stretches of his journey.

“They are really close to my heart and backed me up every step of the way.” He finished his time as Eagi surrounded by the team he had in 2025, people he says he has “so much love and respect” for. Because while one person may wear the suit, it takes an entire team to bring Eagi to life.

So, Who is Nathan?

Take away the feathers, the purple, the crowds and the unmistakable Eagi energy, and you find someone surprisingly different. Nathan describes himself as a simple, private person. “Very closed off,” in his own words. He feels most comfortable expressing himself in familiar environments. And when he isn't working or being Eagi? He's a gamer and streamer at heart.

But there are a few more surprises. Nathan used to be a rapper and singer; he has also done karate, and apparently, his friends think he should try stand-up comedy.

“I DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE THAT IS,” he adds. We'll let the audience decide.

From Eagi to Nathan and Back to NWU

Today, Nathan works at NWU in client service. His journey back to the university in a professional capacity has given him a completely different perspective on the spirit he once represented.

Someone once commented that the drive Nathan had as Eagi would never leave him, that the spirit would live in him forever. At the time, he didn't fully understand what they meant.

Now, he does. Working with people who are stressed about applications and helping them find relief has shown him that the purpose behind Eagi was never really about the costume.

It was about people.

“I didn't understand it until I started working in client service for NWU and helping people who were stressed about applications and helping them put relief on them.”

The suit may be gone. The purpose isn't.

Walking the Same Campus in a New Role

Returning to campus as Nathan, rather than Eagi, has been an adjustment. For years, anonymity was part of the magic. Now that his identity has been revealed, people know who he is.

And he isn't quite sure how to react. “I was so used to being under the mask and unknown.” But then people started telling him their stories about what Eagi meant to them. Stories about moments he had forgotten but they had remembered. Kind words about how he had changed their lives.

“I thought I knew how much Eagi meant to everyone until I heard the stories.” Those conversations have made him emotional. “I become emotional and realise what I have brought to these people.”

It is strange. It is scary. But it is also exciting. And, above everything else, Nathan says he feels honoured. “To be someone who made Eagi special to someone.”

For the Next Eagi

For any student thinking about applying to become Eagi, Nathan has some advice. And it isn't the polished brochure version.

Be prepared to work.

• Be prepared for immense energy.

• Be prepared to carry the Purple Flame and defend the Purple Army with everything you have.

• Most importantly, understand what the character represents.

“Be proud of this institution and understand what you mean to people.” And respect the suit. “Eagi can go anywhere where most people can't. That's how important Eagi is to the world.”

More than a Mascot

Perhaps Nathan's greatest lesson from his time as Eagi isn't about mascots, costumes or university spirit at all. It's about the impact of small acts of kindness. “Always spread love and not hate.” Because you never really know what a small gesture might mean to someone else.

“Your small gesture can make someone's day without you even knowing it.” Be kind. Be gentle. Put a smile on someone's face. And don't underestimate the impact of your actions. “Even if you don't speak, your actions mean a lot to people.”

For Nathan, Eagi may have started with a flyer at residence, a dance video and a decision to “just apply”. But somewhere between the training, the events, the Varsity Cup victories, the unexpected microphone saves, the tears behind the mask and the thousands of interactions with students, something much bigger happened.

A student became a mascot, a mascot became a symbol, and somewhere along the way, Nathan discovered a part of himself he didn't know was there.

The suit may have come off, but the spirit stayed, and perhaps that's the real story of Eagi.

You don't really stop being Eagi. You simply learn how to carry the purple flame without the suit!