So, it’s finally Ring Day! As I sit here writing this with my favorite view of Kyle Field ahead, a question I can’t seem to stop asking myself is: How did I even get here? 

The short answer is that I walked here from the bus stop, but I was told that this had to be 900 words … so buckle up and bear with me because I’m a photographer for a reason. 

From August of 2019 when my family and I drove to a random place in the middle of nowhere called “College Station” for my sister and I to play — and suffer — in a preseason soccer tournament for the first time, to April of 2026 when my entire family has come to support me as I become the first member of our family to earn an Aggie Ring, we have come a very long way.

Growing up in San Antonio, I had no idea where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to study, even though it seemed like everyone else had a pretty good idea. All I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to be a lawyer because it was way too much reading and that I was terrible at math, science and writing — exhibit A: this story.

The only classes where I actually enjoyed doing the work were the photography classes I took as random electives in high school. With college applications due, I was still completely unsure about what I wanted to do with my life until one day, while talking to my mom in the kitchen of our house as she cooked quesadillas for dinner, she told me that through journalism I could turn my passion for sports and photography into a career.  

From creating TikToks for my class, interviewing city planners and even photographing March Madness, journalism has become such a large and exciting part of my life that has allowed me to meet and work with amazing people. Seeing my byline underneath published photos will never get old, and I owe it all to my mom. So, while it is technically her fault that I have to suffer through writing this, it is also thanks to her that I have a new dream to chase.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into when I accepted my admission here as a senior in high school. The word “Whoop” had never been so exciting or loud, maroon had never looked so good and sports had never been so consistently devastating — I’m looking at you, Aggie football. Now here we are, three years later, having gone absolutely insane for the Ags, trying to soak in every second spent at this amazing university and struggling to put my appreciation for it and everything that it has given me into words.

To say I arrived here with the perfect plan of what I wanted to achieve would be a complete lie. Being 1 of 76,000 students at a school and finding your place among them is no easy task, especially when all of your close friends have coincidentally chosen to go to school out of state. The pressure of figuring out where I belonged, making relationships that lasted and finding new opportunities was extremely hard, especially as an introvert who hates talking to strangers. Fortunately, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and after many trials and errors, I now have an incredible community of friends who I’ve been able to share core memories with, all because I decided to take a leap of faith and step out of my comfort zone. Yet, without my dad, I never would have done it.

It took 18 years for me to learn, but I now know that being afraid is never an excuse to not do something, and it’s those experiences that make life worth living. From signing up to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and be like Merida, to applying to be an associate photo chief of the student newspaper in my first-ever leadership position, this rule continues to be true. So many of the goals that I have been able to achieve — like BTHO 90 hours — have happened because I was comfortable with being uncomfortable, all thanks to my dad who always knew the push I needed in order for me to go out into the world and be successful. 

So, does that mean I should listen to my dad more often? Definitely not.

As someone who doesn’t just like things but rather becomes totally obsessed with them forever, the Aggie Spirit has fit into my life like a golden ring. Reaching this milestone means so much to me, not because I get to be part of yet another special tradition, but because I know none of it would have been possible without my mom, my dad and even my sister — who unfortunately plagues my life with burnt orange. I would not be who I am without them, and I am so proud to have their names engraved next to mine on my Aggie gold. 

No sé cómo tuve tanta suerte de tenerlos. Muchas gracias por todo, y los quiero muchísimo.

So, it turns out that maybe I do know how I got here after all, and, no, it wasn’t by walking. I am so proud to be an Aggie, and I can’t wait to see where the crazy train of life goes from here. 

Thanks, and Gig ‘em!