Aggies look forward to the day they step foot on campus and continue their higher education. For Ronald Thiessen, this dream became a reality when he transferred from Angelo State University last semester.
Ronald was described as a hard working and caring student who always completed his assignments on time and looked for challenges.
“I remember that he had told me that one of the teachers had told him that he would be good if he could do a 3.5 [GPA] here,” said Tina Thiessen, Ronald’s mother. “But he would always try to reach as high as he could.”
Tina said she can remember how Ronald was always looking forward to becoming an Aggie and walking across the stage.
“He was looking ahead two years ago with plans to go to A&M,” Tina said. “It was his dream. He was really excited that he could go and that he could go into the classes that he had studied already.”
Ronald was a hardworking student who included in his transfer essay the desire to become a software engineer and one day start his own company.
“He was a student with great promise,” said Rick Furuta, professor and undergraduate adviser in the Department of Computer Science. “It is sad both that he could not develop this and also that we could not gain the benefit of his contribution to our community.”
A drive to put others first and make them feel special is what Tina said she will always cherish about Ronald.
“When it came up to Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or someone’s birthday he would always be the first one to have something ready for us,” Tina said. “He always showed love to us and that was something that I will keep in my heart that he did for us.”
Raymond Thiessen, Ronald’s older brother, said Ronald was a loving brother who knew how to work hard and play hard.
“We always played video games together,” Raymond said. “We always played sports together, too, and watched football together. That’s something I will really miss.”
Raymond said his favorite memory of Ronald is when he was learning to ride a bike.
“When he was younger, he didn’t know a whole lot, but I pushed him and he didn’t have training wheels,” Raymond said. “He fell and it was actually pretty funny.”
Amidst the times of laughter and hard work, Raymond always thought Ronald was a great example for those around him.
“He was always a quiet guy but very productive and didn’t like to brag,” Raymond said. “He was a very good example and role model for younger kids.”
Tina said Ronald knew how to stay focused and organized and will miss his presence and what he did for each of their family members.
“He would always have everything in order like his accounting and everything that he had with school,” Tina said. “He was really, really good at organizing. I will miss him the most that he won’t be around us anymore and what he [has] done for us.”
Ronald’s organization carried over to his academic career where he had hopes of graduating from A&M’s computer science and engineering department.
“He loved the school, and that was always where he wanted to graduate,” Raymond said. “He told all of us that they were almost the top in the nation in computer science and engineering. He thought that after he graduated, there would be a very good chance that he would get a good job.”
Ronald spent many weekends with friends and family, and Raymond said he will always cherish their last one together.
“The last time I saw him is when we played the newest Madden game,” Raymond said. “I was the Cowboys and he was the Eagles and he beat me. That was a good memory.”