What can we help you find?

The Greatest Aggie Symbol

As I am coming to the end of my junior year here at Texas A&M, I am looking forward to one time-honored tradition—getting my Aggie ring!

Over winter break, I got the email I had been waiting for notifying me to check to see if I was eligible to order my ring. Of course, I already knew that after the fall semester ended that I had taken more than 90 hours of classes, which meant I did meet the requirement.

So, I set up an appointment to go in person to get sized and, of course, to take my picture in front of the ring statue with the chalkboard sign—another Aggie tradition!

It was a surreal moment that the day had already arrived and it made me realize how fast my time at Texas A&M has gone by.

Now I am in a suspenseful wait, anticipating the day in April that I will get to receive the ring!

I am excited that my family is coming on Ring Day to help me celebrate my big achievement with me.

The ring itself holds a lot of symbolism.

Every element on the ring has a meaning and even the direction you wear the ring does, too—when you receive your ring, you wear it with the class year facing you to symbolize that your time at Texas A&M is not yet finished; during graduation, a ceremony is led in which you turn the ring around, signifying that you are going out into the world as an Aggie.

The Aggie ring is a great way to recognize fellow Aggies anywhere in the world. When a fellow ambassador and I went abroad last summer, we were recognized as Aggies at an airport in London because of her ring!

The Aggie ring is such an amazing way to unite fellow Aggies and the tradition is one of my favorite at Texas A&M!

Feeling the Pressure

The beginning of a new year brings the excitement and anticipation of a fresh start—the opportunity to reinvent oneself with new beginnings, goals, and resolutions. For students, a new year means a new semester.

The spring, however, along with its showers and blossoms, brings with it the pressure of planning.

Although winter break gave me the opportunity to refresh and renew myself, the second semester of my junior year is all about planning and preparing for my future.

I hope to attend pharmacy school beginning the fall of 2021, which means my agenda, as you can imagine, looks quite intimidating upon first glance.

In two weeks, I will be taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Test, which will help me gain experience in the pharmaceutical field as a technician. Then, this summer, I will be taking the PCAT, which is the Pharmacy College Admissions Test, and applying to my dream pharmacy school—the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy!

Right now, my days (and nights) look pretty much the same: study, eat, sleep, and repeat!

On top of all of the studying I do, I am a member of the Pre-Pharmacy Society, which means I have to think about my school assignments, exams, and events while also preparing for my tech and PCAT exams—a pretty stressful combination, if you ask me!

My vision of the future, however, is what motivates me each and every day.

I recently ordered my Aggie ring, which was quite an emotional day for me because it represented everything I hope to achieve and everything I’ve accomplished thus far.

No matter how hard a situation might seem or feel at first, I have learned that every cloud has its silver lining.

I have found myself overthinking and, at times, doubting myself, in many situations.

Sometimes it is easier to focus on how difficult a task may seem and we don’t ever give ourselves the opportunity to overcome our obstacles or even give ourselves a chance.

If there is one piece of advice I can offer a friend, a family member, or a fellow stressed student, it is to focus on your present and your reality, not the negativities or the “what ifs.”

At the end of the day, you are your No. 1 supporter!

One of my favorite things I’ve learned through my college experience has been that affirmations and positive thinking are more powerful than you might think!

We can do this!