I’ve never been one for jewelry. Unless you count the puka shell necklace I wore all of the time circa 2010 (don’t judge me, I was 11), I’ve never really worn accessories of any kind. That will change this weekend.
This Saturday, I’ll get my Aggie Ring and will finally match my cousins and so many of my friends who cherish the benefits of the Aggie Network.
I have a lot of people to thank for this milestone, the first of which is my parents.
Throughout my teenage years, I watched my dad pursue his bachelor’s degree and my mom her master’s, and was reminded of the importance of education. Funding not only my Aggie Ring but my education as a whole, I am indebted to my parents both literally and for all of the things I’ve been able to accomplish with their support.
Mom and Dad, thank you so much for my Aggie Ring, and I promise I will not lose it!
Coming to Texas A&M from a small town in east Texas, I had no idea I would be attending a school so rooted in tradition. Although I probably still don’t know all of the traditions — sorry to The Battalion’s Facebook commenters — I have my friends to thank for teaching me what I do know about A&M.
The Aggie Ring traditionally symbolizes the Aggie Network and A&M’s Core Values, but for me, it will symbolize much more. It will symbolize meeting my friends in a huge lecture hall. It will symbolize standing next to strangers in Kyle Field and sawing ’em off at the end of a football game. And most of all, it will symbolize all of the people I met after wandering into The Battalion’s basement newsroom my freshman year.
When I look at my ring, I will be reminded of all of the good times I’ve had in Aggieland as well as the bad that inherently comes with college life during a pandemic. Perhaps the most important thing I will take away when looking at my ring, though, is that I’ve persevered through it all.
My college journey has been a difficult one, dealing with some loss and failure, but it has also been one full of laughter and joy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The next time you read a column written by me, it’ll be my Swan Song as I prepare to graduate from A&M, but I’m not nearly as excited about getting my diploma as I am my ring.
I do have some concerns about my ring, though. Maybe my ring will be too small because my right ring finger has gained weight in the last month, or maybe my ring will be too big and fall off because my right ring finger has lost some weight.
But whether it’s the perfect fit or I’m looking up how to resize my ring as you read this, Saturday will provide me a memory I’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Brady Stone is a journalism junior and editor-in-chief for The Battalion.