Run It Up the Flagpole: 7 Mile Homeowners Proudly Represent Their Alma Maters

Maria Jogani proudly displaying three large college flags, from left: University of Delaware, George Washington University and Lafayette University.

By Brendan Currier

College flags have become a familiar sight throughout Avalon and Stone Harbor, serving as colorful symbols of pride, individuality, family accomplishments, and community connection. Displayed prominently outside many shore homes, these flags often represent the universities attended by homeowners, their children, or multiple generations of a family.

For many residents, a college education represents much more than earning a degree. It symbolizes years of personal growth, lifelong friendships, memories, and the foundation for future careers. Displaying a collegiate flag on a shore house is a good way to showcase university pride, and to represent roots.

In the Seven Mile Beach communities, displaying a college flag has become a tradition that allows homeowners to showcase their educational roots while connecting with neighbors who share similar experiences. Flags from institutions such as Boston College, Villanova, Georgetown, Delaware, Temple, Bucknell, and many others can be seen throughout the area during the summer season.

For Avalon resident Maria Jogani, flying college flags is a way to celebrate her family’s achievements. Outside her home, she proudly displays flags representing George Washington University, Lafayette College, and the University of Delaware.

“The University of Delaware, both my husband and I went there,” Jogani says. “My daughter also attended the University of Delaware and was a swimmer for all four years, so we are very proud of her.”

Jogani explained that each flag tells a story about one of her children.

“You have to include every kid,” she says. “The oldest one went to George Washington, so we wanted that flag, and our last one went to Lafayette, and we got a flag at her school too. A lot of people fly the flags for the school wherever they or their kids went.”

For Jogani, the display honors her family’s accomplishments and the educational experiences that helped shape them.

Longtime Avalon resident Jaime Capaldi proudly poses with her University of South Carolina flag as she prepares to begin her senior year this fall.

Another longtime Avalon resident, Kira Lahy, explains the cultural significance of displaying collegiate flags. She proudly displays a Villanova flag in front of the house.

“It’s like a community culture down here to have the flags on nearly all the houses, seeing where people went,” Lahy says. “It’s nice, people walk by and they’re like ‘Oh, I went to Villanova.’ ‘My kid went to UPenn,’ or that kind of thing. So, it’s a nice thing for the community and we like to show we are proud of our family.”

Displaying college flags can often be a priority for homeowners, at least before the summer season ends. While the flags are a common sight during the summer months, many residents view them as seasonal decorations. Longtime Avalon resident Jaime Capaldi explained that most homeowners put them away once the shore season ends.

“The flags are mostly seasonal, so when the people come down here in the summers, they put them back out,” she says. “I know my family does not leave the flags out year-round.”

Capaldi, a rising senior at the University of South Carolina, noted that her family’s South Carolina flag is currently the only college flag displayed at their home.

“We also have a Bucknell flag on a smaller post, but we haven’t put that one up in years,” she says. “My college is the only one highlighted at the moment.”

Spotting a familiar alma mater can spark conversations, lead to introductions, and help people discover shared experiences. Visitors often enjoy looking for schools they recognize as they walk or bike through town. Taken together, the college flags have become more than decorations; they serve as visual markers of family history, personal achievement, and community connection throughout Avalon, and Stone Harbor.

“Whenever my family and I are walking or biking around Avalon, we always point out the flags of the colleges that we went to,” says Capaldi.

Seeing a neighbor or nearby resident displaying a collegiate flag that represents your alma mater or that of a family member often sparks conversations and creates a sense of connection within the community. Whether encountered during a neighborhood walk or while visiting the shore, these flags serve as symbols of shared experiences, school pride, and personal identity.

That sense of connection is one of the many reasons Seven Mile homeowners proudly display college flags in front of their homes, particularly during the summer months.