The earliest memory I have of Texas A&M is from when I was 6 years old, standing on the balcony of the Athletic Center adjacent to Kyle Field, overlooking the football field. This particular building has been changed and renovated since 2004, but at the time, there was a wide open area for coaches and recruits to look over onto what was once the best stadium in the Big 12 (sorry TU). I remember thinking College Station was my kingdom to explore.
Fast forward 12 years, and I'm now a freshman at Ole Miss. Life is crazy, isn't it? My family and I have a long history with A&M: both of my parents are former students, I lived there until I was 4 years old, my dad used to work for the football team and we regularly get locker room visits and stadium tours when we visit. If you think being an A&M fan in 2016 amidst all the Johnny Football allegations is hard (he'll always be JF in the Stratemann house), imagine being an Aggie in 2003 when the Franchione-led team lost 0-77 to Oklahoma.
We ended up moving to Austin, and being surrounded by so much burnt orange was quite the culture shock. Around my sophomore year of high school when it came time to think about ACT's, SAT's, and college trips, my whole extended family thought they had my college decision in the bag- boy did they have a curve ball coming their way. A&M had just joined the SEC, and there was this little blue and red school just south of Memphis that had caught my attention.
Going to the same school in the same town I had always visited wouldn't have been an adventure. It would be the same dorms my family had already stayed in, the same restaurants we had already been to, on the same streets we had already been on. I had grown up hearing how much my parents loved their college years and I wanted the same memories -- just not at the exact same place their stories were from. I can't wait to have the same love for my school that my parents do for A&M, and I'll be able to make family traditions of my own one day.
While my parents can be Rebels sometimes, I know they'll always be Aggies at heart. Just the other day, my dad ordered an Ole Miss Nike polo in the mail and picked it up saying, "This is the first polo I've worn for another school besides A&M." They love to make snide remarks and comments about Ole Miss sports, and I know every year the A&M vs. Ole Miss football game will truly be a family affair.
I know I'm not the only kid to ever have grown up in a family where it might seem like you only have one, and only one, option for school. I encourage all of you to look at new and different places both out-of-state and in-state. Don't feel like you're stuck with a school just because you've grown up singing the fight song (varsity's horns are sawed off).
So as us freshmen prepare to enter our new schools and as high school seniors make their college decisions, remember to test your limits and do the thing that scares you most. We all love our families dearly, but you've got to go against the grain sometimes.
Go Rebs and God bless,
MJS
