The Big 10 with Jeff D'Alessio, May 8, 2016

With the search for the first athletic mascot officially on, we asked 10 UI alums with creative jobs: What's your idea?

PARISA TABRIZ '04

Google's 'Security Princess'

"I vote for the Illinois Apples.

"Apples are an Illinois state food. They're a symbol for education. They're modest — unlike the flashy pineapple. They come in different colors, representing the diversity of the university. And they don't bruise easily.

"I was thinking about corn too — Fightin' Kernels? — but I kept thinking about how the skin gets stuck in your teeth."

MARY ANNA POMONIS '95

Los Angeles artist

"The first thing that I think of is Illini supersweet corn. I remember the first time I ate grocery store corn in California,…