gigem – The Unconventional Millennial

Ring Day: One Year Later

September 15, 2016January 31, 2017Posted in College Years, Texas A&M UniversityTagged Aggie Network, Aggie Ring, future, gigem, graduationLeave a comment

The Aggie Ring to Aggies is what “The sultan of swat!”, “The king of crash!”, The colossus of clout!” …….“THE GREAT BAMBINO!” is to The Sandlot– as I sit here this morning on the eve of a Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring Day, exactly one year after I received mine, I think about how excited fellow Aggies and soon-to-be ring wear-ers are right now. Heck I’m excited for them! The countless hours of studying/tutoring/projects/homework, numerous blistering hot days spent at Kyle Field BTHO whoever came to town and occasional visits to North Gate 😉 are all summed up into one little ring made of gold. It’s a symbol of where we have been and a token of achievement to take with us as we embark on adventures long after graduation from Texas A&M! WHOOP!

If you’re receiving your ring tomorrow, know someone who is or anticipating receiving one in the future and you’re feeling a bit excited right now, you’re not alone. Tomorrow is a great day to be an Aggie! Actually every day is. We anticipate receiving an Aggie ring our entire college career and some of us for a lifetime. It is a symbol of achievement, hard work, the ability to reach great heights and “the most visible symbol of the Aggie Network”. Whoa! Can you hardly stand it?

My Ring Day was no exception. September 25, 2015 very well may be one of my favorite days. Ever. The entire day was filled with excitement, family and friends…. what more could you ask for?

On that sunny, September day my family and I headed over to the Association of Former Students and battled the 100-degree weather, the masses of people and the thousands of camera flashes from every mom. By 2:30 I proudly sported that piece of gold that I wanted my entire life. I was finally part of THE network that is well known for spontaneous conversations between two total strangers, simply because we both have THE ring. It’s fair to say receiving my Aggie Ring is definitely one of my proudest accomplishments.

Now at the time, once I received my Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring, I would joke that I didn’t need a diploma…. having this ring would be sufficient! Once again, this was a joke- personally giving up one semester short of graduation wasn’t an option and that mentality certainly wouldn’t fly with my parents, so I did receive a diploma 8 months later.

It was at that moment as my name echoed through Reed Arena, I stepped onto the stage in front of 12,000 proud Aggie family members, shook Dr. Jones’ hand as he handed me my diploma and hugged the line of professors who taught me over the past 3 years that I realized it was only the beginning for me and my Aggie Ring!

In the 2 short minutes that followed as I exited the stage, gave a wave to my family and stopped for a quick professional photo to document the event, a slew of emotions entered…. positive ones. The general synopsis of these emotions was that I have a whole future ahead of me that I can make whatever I want it to be. As I took my seat to watch the rest of the ceremony, I had a new appreciation and understanding of what the Aggie Ring means to me. So here’s my take…

The Aggie Ring isn’t something you dust off in 50 years and show your grandkids, it’s something we continue to wear even after it’s a little less shiny, worn down and not as defined. It’s a traveling journal of our successes, adventures and the people we meet- a tangible object of our journey through life. Sure it houses those great college memories, but it the ones that have yet to happen that makes receiving an Aggie Ring so special. Think about how you’ll feel in 50 years when a recent Aggie grad comes waltzing up to you, looks down to admire your worn down ring and asks what year you are—immediately you begin to tell your story. I can’t even fathom what I would say because I’m so excited about the future and what it holds.

A year ago, today was the near future for me. In 365 days my Aggie Ring and I have been though graduation, job interviews, offers and now my first job. WHOOP! Accomplishing this in a short time frame is thrilling to me and instills a curiosity into what’s up ahead. While I can’t forecast the future, I can assure you that the moment I was presented my Aggie Ring my story just began.

Tomorrow 4,300 Aggies will begin writing their story to share with future generations and I truly believe as Aggies we have a lot to offer this world! So…… be proud, give your ring a story to tell and embrace the fact that it’s just the beginning!

Congratulations Ags!

Gig ‘em & God Bless!

Heading to the Association of Former Students

Pre-Ring Blues

Happy the Grandmas made it up!

Getting Closer to an Aggie Ring!

Finally!!

Happy Dad and Daughter

Time to Celebrate!

Shout-Out the the Aggie Moms

May 3, 2016January 31, 2017Posted in College Years, Texas A&M UniversityTagged Aggie Moms, Aggies, finals, gigemLeave a comment

If you ever want to feel like a million dollars…walk into a room full of Aggie Moms! You’ll be greeted with the biggest smiles, the biggest hugs and the biggest congratulatory remarks…..even if the most notable thing you’ve done recently was to wake up and walk into this room.

Allow me to back up. At the end of each semester and right before finals the Tri-County Aggie Moms and other various Aggie Mom Clubs throughout the state of Texas set up tables in the MSC and hand out goodie bags to all the Aggie students of the Moms. Each club has their own designated area and it’s neat to see the creativity each club puts into their goodies bags. You see anything from laundry bags, to coolers, to backpacks stuffed full of “goodies” that are sure to make us BTHO finals!

Now the Tri-County Aggie Moms Club is quite large and yesterday the last count I had, they handed out 135 goodie bags! Yes, 135! (Tri-County has a strong Aggie presence….WHOOP!) Even with a number that large, this is no downstream operation. As I sifted through my bag this evening I stumbled across homemade goods, notepads, pens, and what I consider the “good snacks”….like what you hoped you would find in your lunchbox in elementary. And of course you’re sure to find a koozie to keep that water cool while we study or for celebration purposes after finals are behind us…..it’s multipurpose! It’s fair to say our moms are the best! In fact, it’s pretty neat to walk into this huge room and see all the different tables and you just know to go to the one that takes up most of the room and has the most moms surrounding it.

But if for some reason you don’t spot the Tri-County Aggie Moms table immediately, one of the moms will spot you. Not just the Tri-County Moms, but every mom in that room keeps close tabs on who is walking through that door. Two seconds later you hear, “OHHHHHH LOOKS WHO’S HERE!!!! WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!”….on and on and you’re greeted by a million hugs! Each semester I give my mom a hard time because I tell her handing out these goodie bags is so mom-ish.

By no means am I complaining, I love it! It doesn’t matter if it’s your mom and it’s expected…there is no replacement to seeing and hearing how proud your mom is of you! Seeing their energy gives me that extra push of motivation I need at this point in the semester. Not to mention they spent the previous evening putting together all these bags, woke up and drove 100 miles the next morning, and spend the entire day in Aggieland greeting each Aggie with just as much excitement as the previous. Y’all are the best!

Outside of the goodie bags, our Aggie Moms do a lot behind the scenes throughout the semester such as various fundraisers, socials, and dinners that honor scholarship recipients and graduating seniors. They play a vital role in making our college experience the best it can be.

Additionally, I feel that the Aggie Moms Club it is a great support system for each Mom. Some are empty nesters, some just sent their first kid to college, and others fall somewhere in between. I had the opportunity to speak at one of the Tri-County Aggie Mom meetings back in October and I attended the meeting in its entirety. Of course the sole focus was their college student(s) and you could even pay a dollar to brag on your kid! But a recurring theme that was prevalent throughout the meeting was the bond these moms share. They understand one another and are there to help one another, just another fine example of the uniqueness of being an Aggie.

So as I wrap up studying for finals, munch on some chips from my goodie bag, and reflect on the 6 Aggie Mom visits I’ve experienced and their constant support of me throughout my time in college I want to give a heartfelt thank you. We don’t always make y’all’s job the easiest, but y’all sure make it look easy!

Thanks and Gig ‘em to ALL the Aggie Moms!

The BEST moms ever!

That’s a lot of bags!

Bags, bags and more bags!

We LOVE our Tri-County Aggie MomsMoms 🙂

Su[sport]ing the Ags!

February 17, 2016January 31, 2017Posted in College Years, Texas A&M UniversityTagged Aggies, College Baseball, College Basketball, College Football, gigem, NCAALeave a comment

In my three years of college I’ve attended 21 football games, 45+ basketball games, and by the time May rolls around I will have attended 60+ baseball games. It’s fair to say I LOVE Aggie sports! I attend just about every home game and if the timing is right I’ll take a road trip to Houston, Dallas, Waco, Fort Worth, etc, etc. to be a part of the action. It has been a lot of fun to follow Aggie sports with the greatest fans in the world…..The 12th Man! “Old Ags”, students, alumni, and future Ags share great enthusiasm for our Aggies and enjoy congregating at Kyle Field, Reed Arena, and Blue Bell Park on weekends and weekday nights!

I’ve got to watch history unfold with Johnny Manziel, be a part of the excitement of Regional baseball playoffs, cheer the Ags on in the NIT Tournament, and experience some of our most exciting Aggie moments in recent years….like when we took #1 Kentucky basketball to double overtime in 2015 or the 14 inning and 12 inning baseball games during a match up against Cal that included 3rd baseman, Ronnie Gideon running down a Cal player and making a phenomenal out at home, to hosting College Gameday during football season. Not to mention when the student body exploded when one of our own made the $5,000 half court shot. It has all been so fun to watch!

While I may be persistent at attending all home football, basketball, and baseball games I have attended my fair share of others sports as well. I even made my first soccer debut during halftime of the SEC Soccer Championship. I must say, not one of my proudest moments as if there is a sport I am least familiar with and most uncoordinated at, it would be soccer! I’m sad to report…..I got a running start……threw my left leg back…..shifted all my momentum forward…….and with a strong look of determination and focus I kicked the soccer ball. I watched it fly wayyyyy over the goal and smack dab into a fan….sad day. But that’s alright…..the Aggies won the Championship and I’d like to think I helped them win that victory…..from a cheering standpoint, certainly not with my soccer skills.

I look forward to watching the remaining few basketball games and post season excitement and I’m ready to watch baseball start their journey to the Road to Omaha!

Kyle Field- College Station, TX

CHS Class of ’13 Aggies Kyle Field- College Station, TX

Kyle Field- College Station, TX

Johnny Manziel

Corp of Cadets Walk-In- College Station, TX

Kyle Field- College Station, TX

NRG Stadium- Houston, TX

Kyle Field- College Station, TX

Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park

Reed Arena

Vanderbilt University- Nashville, TN

The Aggies Takeover Nashville

November 22, 2015November 12, 2018Posted in College Years, Texas A&M University, TravelTagged Aggies, College Football, gigem, Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Travel1 Comment

Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman- Nashville, TN

I just got back from one of the neatest Aggie experiences ever. Saturday, Texas A&M Football played Vanderbilt in Nashville. Myself and some family friends made a trip out of this game. We flew out Wednesday night and were surrounded by the maroon and white the second we stepped foot in the airport. Aggie Rings shined off the industrial lighting, “WHOOPS” trickled down the security line, and fellow Ags that were once strangers became friends. This same Aggie comradery followed us on the plane, at baggage claim, at the hotel, on the streets in Nashville, at the Opry, and followed up at the football game, and on the plane back home. It’s fair to say the Aggies took over Nashville.

During the Grand Ole Opry I felt like the performers just wanted to hear the power of a receptive crowd because any mention of Texas, football, A&M, or Aggies deserved a “WHOOP” from the ALL Aggie sold-out crowd. In true Aggie fashion at the conclusion of the Opry we joined in unison at the singing of the Aggie War Hymn. We then made our way to the largest venue in downtown Nashville, Wild Horse Saloon, where we once again packed it to capacity and held Midnight Yell. While the others who were turned away due to fire code held their own Midnight Yell on the streets.

Saturday the Aggies filled Nashville streets once again and then headed over to Vanderbilt for some Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football. We arrived to campus in full force and in typical Aggie fashion we took over a parking lot for tailgating purposes and questioned if Vandy had fans or not because all we were seeing was maroon and white. Once in the stadium, our fans were 2 to 1 compared to Vanderbilt.

Sunday we all congregated in the Nashville airport and boarded our respective planes home, once again flying with ALL Aggies. We said our good-byes before parting ways back home in Texas and anticipated the next Aggie football game.

Midnight Yell- Wild Horse Saloon, Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University- Nashville, TN

Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman- Nashville, TN

Ring Day

September 27, 2015January 31, 2017Posted in College Years, Texas A&M UniversityTagged Aggie Network, Aggie Ring, gigem, Ring DayLeave a comment

The Aggie Ring to Aggies is what the “The sultan of swat!”, “The king of crash”,
“the colossus of clout”…….“THE GREAT BAMBINO!” is to The Sandlot. We anticipate Ring Day our entire college career and some of us for a lifetime. It is a symbol of achievement, hard work, and the ability to reach great heights!

My Ring Day was no exception. September 25th very well may be one of my favorite days. Ever. The entire day was filled with excitement, family, and friends….what more could you ask for? Not to mention I took my parents by my place of work and introduced them to my colleagues and showed them around, something I was very proud of. We then headed over to the Association of Former Students and battled the 100 degree weather, the masses of people, and the thousands of camera flashes from every mom.

By 2:30 I proudly sported that piece of gold that I wanted my entire life. I was finally part of THE network that is well known for spontaneous conversations between two total strangers, simply because we both have THE ring.

Receiving my Aggie Ring is definitely one of my proudest accomplishments thus far!