When he accompanied his girlfriend to get her Aggie Ring resized, physics senior Samuel Giese wasn’t expecting to get a ring of his own.
On Jan. 17, Aggies came together and surprised Giese with a check for his very own Aggie Ring. Giese said he felt shocked and fortunate for what happened, especially since he didn’t expect to get his ring anytime soon. Money in his family is stretched between him and his other siblings in college.
“I really did want to get my ring, but my mindset was, ‘I need to focus and prioritize my spending on other things right now.’ But not anymore,” Giese said.
His girlfriend, agriculture leadership and development senior Amber Macha, was inspired to find a way to fund Giese’s Aggie Ring. Macha was able to secure a $300 donation from an anonymous donor and then began raising the rest of the money through a GoFundMe.
“Within less than maybe 36 hours or so, we had the money completely raised and a little bit more, just like that,” Macha said. “I had my phone on me and the whole day I kept looking down and refreshing and re-checking. This is actually happening.”
Macha said she wouldn’t have been able to meet the goal without the generosity of the Aggie Network, and she hopes others will be inspired by her experience.
“All I did was start a cause and everybody banded together,” Macha said. “A&M is known for giving and the Aggie Spirit. We stick up for each other, and we’re all in the same boat. So everybody wanted to help Sam out.”
Environmental studies senior Lane Evers is friends with both Giese and Macha from the Corps of Cadets and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. Evers said Macha reached out to him to donate toward Giese’s ring, and he spread the word as well.
“I had only one thought when donating to Sam,” Evers said. “‘I don’t care how much I have to donate, Sam is getting that ring.’”
Evers said he loved that he had the chance to contribute to Giese, who he sees as a big brother.
“The fact that Sam now has a chance to get his ring may have made my entire semester,” Evers said. “He is the perfect example of what an Aggie should be. I wish that I could be half the person Sam is, he is more than deserving of this opportunity and so much more.”
On the day Macha decided to get her ring resized, she took the opportunity to bring Giese along to surprise him. Once she sent hers to be resized, Macha suggested Giese try on the men’s rings.
“He had no idea,” Macha said. “As soon as they got the box out I had the check, and I handed it to him and I said, ‘Order yours.’”
Giese was congratulated by the employees of the Association of Former Students and said he was blown away by the story of how the money was raised.
“I’m so fortunate to be around the Aggie Network and be known by such caring people that are willing to spend money — people who didn’t even know me,” Giese said. “I was shocked and then just thankful and really fortunate and blessed to be a part of the Aggie Network.”
Giese said he admires the symbolism behind the Aggie Ring, especially now that he will be receiving one. Giese said he is excited to show that he went to A&M and have the opportunity to meet other Aggies and start a conversation.
“It’s just another reason that I’m really proud to go to be an Aggie,” Giese said. “Yeah, we’re here to get a degree, but the relations that we make and the friends we make here at A&M are worth remembering for years to come. Now when I wear that ring, I’ll think of everyone that helped pay for it and remember just how great the Aggie Network is.”