The sweet reason why New Hampshire has a new state marsupial
Vivien Deal-Sosa worked alongside her Chesterfield School classmates to petition for the Virginia opossum to become NH’s state marsupial. Here’s how she did it.
For most people, encountering a Virginia opossum in your garage is a jarring experience. You want to know where the marsupial came from, whether it’s dangerous, and how to safely remove it. For Chesterfield School student Vivien Deal-Sosa, though, finding an opossum in her family’s garage made her think: Why is this animal seeking shelter here, and what else can I learn about it?
And that’s precisely what she did. Deal-Sosa decided to study the Virginia opossum for a class project, which then inspired her to create a petition to make the marsupial a New Hampshire state symbol. With some added help from her then fourth grade teacher, Jessica Quarry, Deal-Sosa was able to work alongside her fellow students—who were influenced by her enthusiasm—to research the mammal even further. Now, after the gears of local government have finally stopped turning, the group’s efforts have paid off.
As of August 2025, it was codified into law that the Virginia opossum would become a state symbol, AKA the official New Hampshire state marsupial, but how did opossums from Virginia even get to New England in the first place? And how did Deal-Sosa and her classmates capitalize on their civic duty to make this happen?
Virginia opossums have actually been in New Hampshire for many years
While they’re obviously named after a specific state, Virginia opossums have actually been a part of New Hampshire’s wildlife scene for roughly 100 years. According to Squam Lakes Natural Science Center’s executive director, Iain MacLeod, the Virginia opossum is the only marsupial in New Hampshire. The animals are sensitive to cold weather, but due to the warming climate, they’ve migrated to new regions for their own survival.
“As our temperatures are rising and our winters are generally getting milder, they are now really quite widespread throughout New Hampshire,” MacLeod told NHPR. He added that they can be seen in most towns found throughout the Granite State, and that they typically eat trash, ticks, birdseed, pet food, vegetables, and roadkill. “The more adaptable you are, the less specialized and more successful you’re likely to be,” he said, before adding, “They are amazing, amazing animals.”
The idea that the Virginia opossum is an amazing animal is a sentiment that Vivien Deal-Sosa and her classmates shared with MacLeod, which is why the students set out to ensure that it would officially be honored by the state.
How Deal-Sosa and her Chesterfield classmates petitioned the state
Part of Vivien Deal-Sosa’s fourth-grade curriculum revolved around state government and how different animals have been designated as NH state symbols over the years. It was through these assignments that Deal-Sosa became inspired to petition for the Virginia opossum to become the state marsupial. Her petition quickly got 100 signatures from her fellow students, along with teachers and parents who joined the cause.
Her teacher at the time, Jessica Quarry, said, “Vivien is very mature, and a calm and even-keeled student in person. Also, she’s very objective and fair. When her classmates think of her, they think of her getting along with everyone, but also having a calm demeanor. When she is interested in something, she dives deep.” After diving deep at the Chesterfield School, Deal-Sosa’s petition was then shared with Sen. Donovan Fenton, who is the Democratic state senator representing the class’s district. Deal-Sosa’s mom, Courtney Deal, helped orchestrate a meeting between Sen. Fenton and the class thanks to a work colleague.
A year after the petition was presented to Sen. Fenton, he joined Deal-Sosa and her class again to present a bill before the Executive Department and Administration Committee in Concord in January 2025. Deal-Sosa and her best friend, Vera, spoke at the podium after Sen. Fenton about the importance of adopting the marsupial as an official NH state symbol. The girls went through a very carefully written and memorized script. “On the bus ride there, we ran the script over and over again. It was definitely nerve-racking, but it wasn’t that bad, because I knew I was prepared,” Vivien said.
Then, it was just a matter of being patient as the local government worked through its legislation. The bill was passed in July 2025, and the Virginia opossum will officially be known as the New Hampshire state marsupial beginning on September 30. When discussing the inspiring news with The New Hampshire Union Leader, Quarry said, “This was such a valuable lesson about government in general, and state government in particular. I think my students learned about what you can accomplish when you work together, and the importance of persistence.”
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