Is Texas A&M merely a university? Is it just brick and mortar and over-priced textbooks? Or is something more? I know that it is quite a cliche to start this way, but the question was not a rhetorical one. As a current student, I know the answer, but I want to hear your thoughts just the same.

Sure, Texas A&M is a university. It is brick and mortar, and yet it is much more. We have a Century Tree planted in front of Bolton Hall, which channels two paths into one. We have an Academic Plaza, which remembers the lost every month at Silver Taps. We have a Memorial Student Center, which honors the most selfless service. We have the best band in all of Aggieland. We have a football team the size of the student body. The 12th Man never fails to rise to the occasion (pardon pun because you know we stand for almost everything). We have a First Lady in Miss Rev. We have found our luck in penny on Sully, and we have a family here. We have a spirit here that has ne'er been told. Aggieland is special, and every graduate takes a part of it with them. The Core Values are not set aside when the diploma is handed off. We wear them on our finger and our hearts.

So now I must beg the question—what is the Aggie Ring? Is it merely a nugget of gold? Is it only a testament of a met academic requirement? Is it just a school ring—something bought at the peak of graduation excitement and never worn again? Or is it something entirely different? The Aggie Ring is a symbol of belonging, of character, and of Aggie heart. The Aggie Ring is a physical embodiment of the wearer's ties to the Aggie family. And good Ags never take it off.

I've got a little story for you Ags. My Grandaddy cherished his ring. He wore it on his left hand as his wedding ring, and through years of marriage, work, and childrearing, his ring was worn down to a smooth dome. He was later devastated when it washed off his finger on a beach in Hawaii. They searched and searched but could not find it anywhere. He didn't know what to do, but my Dad did. In an act of selfless service, my Dad offered his ring to replace the lost one (he would wear his letterman's ring in its stead). My Mimi had the date changed from '87 to '53, and she had the lettering changed from "Texas A&M University" to "A&M College of Texas." Now Muller lore states that Grandaddy never noticed the difference, but considering that his ring was completely worn down, I think he just didn't care to mention it. He was happy to have "his" ring back. He wore it proudly for many years but has since passed away. So my Dad's ring means even more to him now. He wears it every day. It serves to remind him of his time at Texas A&M and his time with his Dad—two worthwhile chapters in his life.

So trust me when I say—I understand the importance of preserving the Aggie Ring. I do not take the attainment of it lightly, and I am overly eager to order mine at the end of this semester. It is a time-honored tradition, one that many of my family members have enjoyed. But as for me, the day will be unique in the sense that I will have my best Ag with me. And who knows, maybe I'll have Nicholas present my ring to me. I only wish I could do the same for him. I want him to have the tangible reminder that he belongs at Texas A&M too.

The Aggie Heart Ring is not swaying from tradition; it is merely breathing new life into an old one. Thanks and gig 'em.