2015 Winner – Dionne Mitcham ’19

Howdy, Frisco A&M Club!

My first semester as an Aggie has been a world wind of an adventure. Never have I imagined to experience and learn about so many things in a short amount of time both inside the classroom and out. Now I truly understand the hype about being an Aggie! The traditions, family atmosphere, the classes, and of course the football is addicting!

My aggie journey started at Fish camp. When I arrived, I felt like a bad Ag because I did not know anything about the Aggie traditions! I didn’t even know who to do the freshmen wildcat correctly! Since I was a first generation Aggie, I didn’t know if I would fit into the Aggie family. After four wonderful days of Fish camp, I felt like I was truly apart of the Aggie family. Fish Camp thought me that despite everyone’s different backgrounds we all had one thing in common. We were all Aggies, and know we were all each other’s’ “family”. I loved fish camp so much that I want to apply to be a Fish Camp counselor!

After my first week of classes, I was overwhelmed with organization applications and all the options I had. I felt as if I was one amongst the masses. I didn’t know where I belonged at TAMU. I ended up applying for 6 different Freshmen Leadership Organizations (FLOs) due to the encouragement of my DG “Dad”. I didn’t even know what FLOs were before I came to TAMU. I also auditioned to be on the ballroom dancing performance team. Remarkably I made the ballroom dancing team and got invited to interviews for all 6 FLOS! My ballroom dancing team has allowed me to compete against other colleges and perform around the College Station/Bryan area. We competed at Rice University in the fall and plan to go to TU (sssssss!) to compete in the spring! Along with joining the ballroom dancing team, I also ended up choosing to be a part of a FLO called MSC Aggie Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT). Being a part of ALOT has brought me so many opportunities to grow as a leader, to impact the community, and to make friends.

I am fortunate to say that my first A&M football game was in the brand new Kyle Stadium. I am also very fortunate to have experienced the 1st game in Kyle field from the 1st deck! Upon arriving at TAMU I learned how connections can allow you to experience some pretty cool things. One of my friends from high school is in the Corps of Cadets, and took my other high school friends and I as his dates for the first game! I pretty sure he was the only Corps Freshmen with three dates! Although going to Football games and attending midnight yells are great traditions, they aren’t my favorite. Silver Taps is my favorite tradition because it allowed me to feel so close to my fellow Aggies and the Aggies that we have lost.

During my semester at A&M, I got to take 13 hours of courses. My favorite and hardest two courses were Cultural Geography and Biology. Although my first semester was challenging academically, I learned a lot of interesting information.

Thank you Frisco A&M Club for contributing to my first semester as an Aggie. It was an experience I will never forget. I look forward to the next semesters to come!

Sincerely,

Dionne Mitcham