A Spirit That Can Never Be Told: My Time in Aggieland
It was the Aggie Spirit that ultimately brought me to Texas A&M University. In my process of deciding where to attend college, I was invited to visit Texas A&M on an April 21st to spend a day at Mays with the students and faculty. Little did I know how important that day would continue to be for the rest of my life. This importance became clear to me as I captured a glimpse of the loving Aggie family filled with Aggie Spirit. For Aggies all across the globe, April 21st is lovingly known as "Muster," when Aggies answer "here" in a roll call for their beloved classmates who have died in the past year. It is a tradition unlike any other.
Although I never actually got to attend Muster that evening, I was moved by the many stories of Muster and the Aggie spirit that I heard that day. When Dean Strawser sat down with me and my parents and asked me, “So why not Texas A&M?,” I knew that there was no other place I would rather be than “here.” And since then, the gift of being here has given me so many reasons to tell others “Why Texas A&M.”
The tears that came to my eyes and the chills that ran down my spine when I first sang the Spirit of Aggieland with the 12th Man at Kyle Field, the love of pursuing my passions that my professors have instilled within me, the empowerment to selflessly serve others through all that I do, the loyalty of the Aggie Spirit that has stood the test of time. Those are just a few reasons I can say “Why Texas A&M.”
Texas A&M University has given me so much in so little time. It has given me a home away from home, as it is the only place I have ever lived besides my hometown. It has given me so many beautiful communities, like the freshman leadership organization Aggie Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT), Mays Business School, the Center for Management Information Systems, the Center for International Business Studies, the Mays Communication Lab, Reads & Counts (my previous work study job), and St. Mary's Catholic Center and Kappa Theta Beta (which when I'm not in class, work, or at home, this is the place where you will find me). I have deepened relationships, found new best friends, and have become a part of the Aggie family. My Aggie family has helped me during the rough semesters and easygoing ones, helping me to see joy and love in spite of all of life's challenges.
Throughout it all, Texas A&M University has taught me its core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service. These are pillars upon which Aggies are made and sent into the world. In being given all of this, having this amazing opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself, I know I have been called and I want to be a good steward and share my love of the Aggie Spirit with others. Texas A&M University is a place that I will treasure forever in my heart. As my time here will soon draw to a close in May 2014, I will strive to make the most of what it means to be an Aggie student and prepare my heart and mind to serve the world.
Although I never actually got to attend Muster that evening, I was moved by the many stories of Muster and the Aggie spirit that I heard that day. When Dean Strawser sat down with me and my parents and asked me, “So why not Texas A&M?,” I knew that there was no other place I would rather be than “here.” And since then, the gift of being here has given me so many reasons to tell others “Why Texas A&M.”
The tears that came to my eyes and the chills that ran down my spine when I first sang the Spirit of Aggieland with the 12th Man at Kyle Field, the love of pursuing my passions that my professors have instilled within me, the empowerment to selflessly serve others through all that I do, the loyalty of the Aggie Spirit that has stood the test of time. Those are just a few reasons I can say “Why Texas A&M.”
Texas A&M University has given me so much in so little time. It has given me a home away from home, as it is the only place I have ever lived besides my hometown. It has given me so many beautiful communities, like the freshman leadership organization Aggie Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT), Mays Business School, the Center for Management Information Systems, the Center for International Business Studies, the Mays Communication Lab, Reads & Counts (my previous work study job), and St. Mary's Catholic Center and Kappa Theta Beta (which when I'm not in class, work, or at home, this is the place where you will find me). I have deepened relationships, found new best friends, and have become a part of the Aggie family. My Aggie family has helped me during the rough semesters and easygoing ones, helping me to see joy and love in spite of all of life's challenges.
Throughout it all, Texas A&M University has taught me its core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service. These are pillars upon which Aggies are made and sent into the world. In being given all of this, having this amazing opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself, I know I have been called and I want to be a good steward and share my love of the Aggie Spirit with others. Texas A&M University is a place that I will treasure forever in my heart. As my time here will soon draw to a close in May 2014, I will strive to make the most of what it means to be an Aggie student and prepare my heart and mind to serve the world.