Almost two years ago at a pitch meeting where we were planning for the 2015 spring Ring Day edition, I volunteered to write a column about why I didn’t want to get my Aggie Ring. 
Man, am I glad I didn’t write that column. 
My family is Canadian — very Canadian, we’re the only ones in America — so I had no predispositions or ideas about which schools in Texas I should apply or go to. I applied to UT and A&M with the same apathy. When I ultimately chose to go to A&M, it was a strategic move — I could easily graduate in three years, the tuition was within my price range and it was close enough to home without being in my parents’ backyard. 
I wrote an entry in my journal following my New Student Conference questioning why anyone would say “Howdy” everytime they met someone on campus. I lived for the weekends I could go home. And I definitely did not want a gaudy chunk of gold on my finger — my diploma would be enough proof of my time at A&M, thank you very much. 
But the more I got involved at A&M through The Battalion, the more I discovered what made the campus so special: the people. I’ve met so many people and made so many friends through my time at The Batt. Whether I was writing about caring students who wanted to put windchimes on campus to help students with visual impairments or about a professor who raps, the Aggies of Aggieland are what have changed me from the moody freshman who just wanted to graduate to the nostalgic senior wishing for more time. 
I’ve worked on numerous Ring Day editions now, each time reading stories of how important the ring is to the people who wear them. It may have taken me awhile to understand it, but the ring isn’t simply a symbol of having attended A&M — it’s a reminder of the friends, relationships and lessons that defined your time at A&M. 
When I look down at my ring on Friday, I won’t be thinking about how I learned to write a speech in my communication classes. I’ll be thinking about the classmates who became friends. 
When I look down at my ring on Friday, I won’t be thinking about eCampus assignments. I’ll be thinking about the people who make me laugh until my sides hurt. 
When I look down at my ring on Friday, it won’t just be a symbol of “You went to A&M.” 
It will be a symbol of “You were a part of A&M, and now A&M’s a part of you.”
Sam King is a communication senior and editor-in-chief for The Battalion.