The Battalion — May 2, 2024

OPINION

Graduating opinion editors write final pieces as members of The Battalion. A3

‘Disclose,

Aggies organize one of many national college campus protests

By Ana Renfroe @aeoenia

Hundreds of Texas A&M students protested the Israel-Hamas war and assembled in Academic Plaza, demanding A&M divest funds and denounce supporting organizations benefitting from Israeli occupation.

Planned from 12-8 p.m. on April 29, the protest was organized by Aggies Against Apartheid. The coalition was recently formed and alerted the university administration over a week in advance to ensure compliance, according to event organizer computer engineering junior Akkad Ajam. Within hours of the demonstration beginning, Ajam said about 150 students joined, and near the end, the group had more than doubled.

Protest organizers declined to interview with local media but distributed written statements before the beginning. Aggies Against Apartheid called for A&M divestment from AXA EUR, Chevron Texaco Corp, Caterpillar Inc, HP Inc, Siemens AG and more, sharing more information via its Instagram.

The A&M campus protest is among many college campus pro-

tests nationwide calling for divestment. Organizers voiced support for those recently arrested while protesting at the University of Texas on April 24, which resulted in 57 arrests and more from subsequent protests.

“We affirm our solidarity and steadfast support to the people of Gaza and to our brothers and sisters at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as to each and every student being silenced by institutional power across the nation,” the statement from Aggies Against Apartheid read.

At 1:07 p.m., protestors began chanting as they marched for a silent protest. The group looped around Evan’s library before returning to the Academic Plaza.

After their return to the plaza, multiple witnesses said the demonstration was peaceful yet effective.

Administration on site confirmed coalition leadership had worked with A&M to ensure the protest did not violently escalate.

Multiple high-ranking administrators observed the demonstration during the afternoon, such as A&M President Mark Welsh and Vice President of Student Affairs Joe E. Ramirez. In the morning, Ramirez sent a campus-wide email urging students to demonstrate Aggie values while voicing their opinions.

“Since last fall, I’ve watched as our students exercised their right to voice concerns through peaceful expressive activities on campus, and did so consistently exemplifying

BASEBALL

Still No. 1, A&M baseball hits the road to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for series matchup. B2

divest, we will not rest’

integrity, respect and all the other values held dear by Texas Aggies,” Ramirez’s email read. “… While we acknowledge the gravity of recent global events, we continue to urge all members of our Aggie community to continue to engage in constructive dialogue while upholding Texas A&M’s values of respect, leadership and integrity during this challenging period.”

From 2 p.m., the group intermittently hosted lessons through the afternoon to educate protestors and concluded before 7 p.m. Lessons included the “history of the colonization of Palestine,” “Israeli apartheid and war crimes” and “US-Israeli relations.”

The group marched a final lap around Evans Library and Military Walk shortly after 7:15 p.m. Organizers led chants as protesters followed with pro-Palestinian signage.

Following the final march, Ajam said organizers were proud of the amount of positive communication and discussions as a result of the protest.

“I think it really shows how not only we have a love of life and a love of humanity, but a love for each other as Aggies as people that care, have humanitarian or moral and ethical obligations to speak on this and fight back against this,” Ajam said.

Ajam said A&M has been very compliant as the protesters pushed to demonstrate their 1st Amend-

ment rights.

“We are vocal about it, and they’re advocating for our freedom of speech,” Ajam said. “We’re gonna continue advocating for the freedom of speech as far as we’re willing to take it.”

On Monday evening, Kelly Brown, associate vice president of A&M Marketing and Communications, released a statement on behalf of the university.

“As a public institution of higher learning, Texas A&M is committed to creating an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas and opinions,” the statement reads.

“Texas A&M’s rules on expressive activity — including protests and demonstrations — outline how the university will protect the rights of freedom of speech, expression, petition and peaceful assembly as set forth in the U.S. Constitution and Texas state law.”

Brown said groups organizing expressive activities must apply and reserve a space for its event, and A&M cannot tolerate events that disrupt normal operations, such as classes.

“We provide various locations for expression, including Academic Plaza, which is where Monday’s protest was held,” Brown wrote.

“… Fortunately, the five demonstrations since October have all been peaceful and without incident.”

The event concluded after 8 p.m. when organizers led a group prayer and vigil.

EVENTS IN AGGIELAND

Big Barn Dance Festival May 3

JazzFest 2024 May 3

Aggieland Egg & Brew Fest May 4

Beehind the scenes

The double life of Aggie broadcaster, beekeeper Matt Dittman

By Shalina Sabih @shalina__s

The speakers turn on. Static clicks. A voice reads “Your starting lineup for the Texas A&M Aggies is …” Spectators hear that sentence echo through the speakers at every home tennis match. If you’re an avid tennis fan, you’ve heard his voice before. It is the voice of Matt Dittman, KAMU Radio program director. With years of radio knowledge under his belt, he has developed a vast understanding of the field. At his job, he is surrounded by a familiar frequency of sounds coming through the radio.

At his home away from home, the frequency is different. Electronic beats turn into constant buzzing created by thousands of tiny creatures.

Dittman steps outside his car, and this time the buzz is not from the radio. Here he is greeted by blackand-yellow wonders.

Beyond the stadium and intensity of game days, Dittman said his favorite sound is the gentle hum of bees. After he steps away from a day of roaring crowds and the pressures of being inside a press box or radio station, Matt and his wife find themselves in their golden-winged haven.

“I had decided Matt was going to join me or he wasn’t,” Matt’s wife, Shelby Dittman, said. “Either way, I was going to have bees.”

Shelby graduated from A&M in 2018 with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism. While in undergrad, she took Biology of Beekeeping, and she said the more she learned, the more fascinated she got. One of her previous co-workers offered her land to keep her bees and ever since, she got herself and Matt into a hive of adventures.

“The number one goal was not to get honey,” Matt said. “We thought having bees would be cool and wanted to raise bees as a hobby.”

The Dittmans picked up their first package of bees on a rainy April day in 2022. They took them to their apiary, and from there separated the bees into two large and deep wooden hives — one Whataburger-themed, the other A&M.

After spending weeks getting to know the bees, Shelby discovered comfort in their soft buzzing.

She said bees drum their wings in the key of C; she believes that spending so much time near the bees’ calming buzz could have a healing effect.

“We’re out there and that nice hum is calming,” Shelby said. “ I’ve heard it and I believe it, and it definitely affected us the same way.”

These colonies gently swarm around the couple as they maintain their homes every other week. They are no strangers to getting stung by them, but Matt said surprisingly the number of stings they have received is low.

Matt said bees are not necessarily aggressive, and as long as nobody

Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Demonstrators march near the Memorial Student Center during a protest on the Texas A&M campus on Monday, April 29, 2024, to demand Texas A&M divest funds and denounce supporting organizations benefitting from Israeli occupation.

Left: Public health senior Kazim Gazi leads a group in prayer during a protest. Right: Sociology junior Akkad Ajam calls chants through a megaphone during a protest on the Texas A&M campus.

Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Chris Swann — THE BATTALION

gets in the hive’s way, they don’t attack people. Worker bees can only sting once, so they are not going to attack unless something is tearing apart the hive.

The Dittmans handle these bees by using a smoker on their managed hives. The smoke calms the bees by covering their alarm pheromones, which makes them less “spicy,” as Shelby puts it.

“They calm down, and they act as a liquid, and we’re able to open palms and gently scoop them up,” Shelby said. “It’s very important that you move slowly and breathe slowly and try to crush as little bees as possible.”

The couple learned much of what they know about beekeeping from the Brazos Valley Beekeepers Club. There, they attend an annual “bee school,” which Matt said teaches classes about the upkeep of bees. They also took a honeybee biology course in Brenham through the Central Texas Beekeepers Association.

While Matt mentioned he still has much to learn, his expertise came in handy on an episode of Texas A&M Today. While he was not part of the show, he told the showrunners how to prepare for their episode, which featured a segment on A&M’s honeybee lab — the same lab Shelby took while she was enrolled in Biology of Beekeeping.

CAMPUS

The Dittmans handle their bees differently depending on the season and weather conditions. According to Shelby, bees prefer blue, sunny days, as they use the sun’s UV rays to navigate. On cloudy days, the bees can’t go out and fly, so they tend to be “spicier.”

“Most people would not believe that being buzzed by thousands of bees is relaxing and calm, but when you have the right gear, practice and knowledge it kind of is,” Matt said.

Matt also mentioned how it is important to remember that a beekeeper can put in effort and be knowledgeable, but sometimes a hive might not work. It can be disappointing, but he said it’s important to not give up on the bees.

Matt recalled one time he made a mistake, in which a $45 queen bee got out under his watch, and the Dittmans had to force-release the queen. They grabbed a Mason jar and spotted the insect flying around and ended up catching her and forcing her back into the hive.

The Dittmans do not shy away from teaching people about the importance of having bees. They said that if they can’t take people to see the bees, they will still talk about them and educate others.

“I knew almost nothing about bees until I started talking to Matt,”

Jay Socol, who works with Matt at KAMU, said. “Bees are very intelligent creatures, a fully functioning society and they have personalities

and intentionalities and that’s crazy.”

Matt said given the choice between listening to rowdy crowds and the buzzing sounds of critters, he’d settle down and cool off after a long day by just being around and listening to his bees.

“I started in broadcasting and I think it is hilarious all these years later that I competed in events for farm radio and entomology, and these days I’m doing radio and keeping bees,” Matt said. “I don’t think of all my athletic stuff as work. I like being a part of it and it’s the best hobby, and then in my downtime, I am also enjoying another hobby.”

cash for clothes

The Texas A&M Foundation proudly supports Aggies through every step of their journey. Congrats to our newest former students!

Top Left: Beekeepers Matt Dittman and wife Shelby check a beehive during a visit to their hives on Friday, April 5, 2024. Top Right: Beekeeper Matt Dittman checks a beehive during a visit to their hives. Bottom Left: Sports writer Shalina Sabih holds a bee on her finger during a visit to the Dittmans’ beehives. Bottom Right: Beekeeper Shelby Dittman scoops bees back into their hive during a visit.

Photos by Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

‘All good things must come to an end’

Graduating opinion editor recounts her unexpected path from Austinite to proud Aggie

By Ana Sofia Sloane @anasofiasloane

It was never my plan to become an Aggie.

Almost exactly three years ago today, a series of unforeseen events led to me staring at my laptop screen with unease, the pale glow of my cursor illuminating the acceptance button to a university my Austinite self knew little about besides its cultish reputation and t.u. rivalry.

Was this the right t for me? Would I be happy? Click.

Fast forward to the version of me typing away at this ode to my college career, I can’t help but wish I could go back in time and tell that hesitant, dispirited 18-yearold girl that everything was falling into place just as it was meant to be.

There’s no way she could’ve known that during her time at Texas A&M, she’d re-discover her love for learning while ipping through books in the silent, dusty corners of Evans Library. That a pesky 8 a.m. class and random dorm assignment would lead to beautiful friendships. That nervously auditioning for a choir over Zoom would give way to performances in ancient cathedrals across the world.

… And de nitely not that she’d buy a pair of cowboy boots and nd herself tromping around in beer mud at a festival severely lacking in chili.

But this is the beauty of the unexpected.

Among countless other lessons, the

land of Maroon and White has shown me the value of redirection, demonstrating time and time again that purpose comes not from control but from learning and embracing the changes, blind corners and mistakes that we all inevitably cross in our paths forward.

Over the course of six semesters, I’ve laughed so hard my entire body ached, loved with all my might, shed quite a few tears, learned my capabilities and created irreplaceable memories that will stay with me long after I submit my last assignment on Canvas.

All because of one fateful click.

Now, I know you may think it a bit odd or o ensive that I opened this swan song with a tale of initial indi erence, but to me, it speaks to the transformative spirit of Texas A&M, the one that can truly ne’er be told and successfully turned this writer into a proud Aggie.

So, thank you. To The Bush School, for instilling a sense of service within me alongside a newfound appreciation for bagel sandwiches. To the Century Singers, for the friends, music and experiences to which words cannot quite do justice. To The Battalion, for helping me discover my voice and the criminality of the Oxford comma. To the endlessly talented opinion desk, for your smiling faces at every meeting and wild takes — it’s been an honor serving as your associate opinion editor alongside Ryan.

As my song comes to an end, all I can say is I am grateful to have attended a university that makes saying goodbye so hard. It may have never been my plan to become an Aggie, but boy am I glad I chose to be one.

Graduating opinion editor reminisces on journey and memories in MSC L400

By Ryan Lindner @ryanlindner12

I didn’t want to write this. “Swan songs” always struck me as a bit corny. I mean, why would anyone want to read about some college kid re ecting over his years in student media as if he was stepping down from an actually distinguished position? Ultimately, we’re simply students who enjoy writing and have a weak spot for newspapers and Times New Roman — more quirky than cool, if we’re being honest.

However, the closer graduation approaches, the more sentimental I’m becoming about the years I’ve spent here in the basement of the Memorial Student Center writing, or ranting, depending on who you ask, about everything under the sun. I am — rather, was — the opinion editor, after all.

If anything, consider this Swan song a closer to a memorable adventure full of friends, laughs and the ever-present stress of meeting deadlines.

I joined The Battalion as an opinion

writer in the summer of 2022. My motivation? I read one of the worst opinions I ever had the displeasure of contemplating in an earlier Battalion print edition. Armed with a mind full of half-baked opinions and an argumentative nature, I applied and began writing a weekly column covering topics ranging from state politics and campus culture to student government drama and even a review of Jimmy Bu ett’s posthumous album — possibly my favorite article.

In Jan. 2023, I took what little experience I had and interviewed for the job of opinion editor. Since then, I’ve spent most of my free time trying to keep up with editing all of the articles that my friends, known as The Battalion opinion desk, have been pumping out for the last couple of years. While there are probably a million things I would rather do than make edits on a Google Doc. I’m condent in saying that I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It’s within the newspaper-covered walls of MSC L400 where I found my place, my people and not to be overly philosophical, I found a little bit of myself.

To my fellow editors, Ana So a, Caleb, Zoe, Kylie, Hunter, Luke, Sophie, Amy, Chris, Kyle, Ana, Sydnei, Anna, Hilani and Pranay, and the past editors who have moved on to greener pastures, thank you so much for your friendship and pushing me to give it my all every single day.

To the opinion desk, Isa, Maddie, Bj, Charis, Nihan and Eddie, y’all are the most witty, intelligent, hard-working writers in the business. I would say that I hope I’ve taught you all something, but in all honesty, I think I might have learned more from y’all than you all learned from me. So, keep writing, be yourselves, pursue your passions and don’t forget to ll out your photo requests.

As my history professor said after his lecture on the collapse of the Soviet Union, “All good things must come to an end,” and so must my time in Aggieland. Goodbye College Station, goodbye Texas A&M and goodbye to my friends at The Battalion.

Thanks for the memories.

Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Photo courtesy of Ryan Lindner

Home court advantage

home court.

By Luke White @Lukewhite03

While the path hasn’t always been the smoothest, the 2024 campaign marked another year of consistency for the Texas A&M tennis programs.

With the selection show on April 30, the men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament for the 30th consecutive season as the No. 15 seed to host a regional, while the women’s squad marked its 24th trip in a row to the Big Dance with a No. 13 seed and hosting duties.

The men will kickstart the tournament versus Rice on Friday, May 3 at the Mitchell Tennis Center, with the women’s first serve against A&M-Corpus Christi set for Saturday, May 4 at 1 p.m.

While the ladies’ SEC regular season title and trip to the conference tournament championship gave little reason to doubt their hosting bid in the NCAA Tournament, a fivematch skid by the men cast doubt on their chances of returning to their

Following a win at LSU on March 31, the Aggies dropped their last four matches of the regular season before falling to the Tigers in the first round of the SEC Tournament on April 18. Three of the five matches came down to a tiebreaking seventh point.

“Now we need to go back and play the kind of level of tennis we played earlier in the season,” coach Steve Denton said. “We’ve been working hard, so we’ll see what happens.”

A two-week break between the SEC Tournament and the NCAAs provides a reset point for the team to fine-tune its craft and return to College Station, where it is 11-2 this season.

“We had two weeks to practice and we also had a chance to play a tournament for a few guys in the team to get some confidence,” senior Raphael Perot said. “I’m pretty sure we’re ready now to move on to the next. We’re having a better energy as a team … we’re in a good mindset right now, so I like our chances.”

Perot has been a mainstay at Court 1 for the Aggies this year as the country’s No. 23 players in singles, and his seven ranked wins earned him First Team All-SEC

honors alongside junior JC Roddick. Not only does hosting offer a home-court advantage, but also an opportunity for Perot and graduate Kenner Taylor to finish their playing days in Aggieland on a high note.

“We were kind of scared of not being able to play at home,” Perot said. “I think it’s going to be a big advantage for us, especially here, I feel like it’s tough for the opponents to play here. I feel like that can give us extra motivation. Everybody was super excited even though we lost a few matches in a row.”

A&M is joined in the regional by Baylor at 18-11 and No. 18 San Diego with a 22-3 mark. The Bears find themselves in a similar funk, having lost four matches in a row, while the Toreros captured a West Coast Conference regular season and tournament crown. The regional champion will take on the winner of the Austin regional, hosted by Texas.

“Which comes first, the winning or the confidence?” Denton said. “The winning comes first, but now that we’ve not been able to win down the stretch, now we’ve got to step up and just play a little bit better in all these different matches and expect a good result when that happens.”

Despite opening the season with a 5-5 record and losses to three ranked teams, A&M’s women’s squad has continued the winning culture it’s built over the past several years. The Aggies will look to reach their third consecutive Elite Eight and fifthstraight Sweet 16.

A&M rebounded from its slow start by winning 17 of its next 19 matches, including a 12-1 mark in SEC action to claim a share of the conference regular season title. For their efforts, junior Mary Stoiana was named SEC Player of the Year while Lucciana Perez took home SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

“We truly feel like we’re as good as anyone in the country now with [senior] Carson [Branstine] and the lineup,” coach Mark Weaver said.

“I’ll take our lineup against anyone.

I feel like if we’re performing at the level that we’re capable of, we’re gonna be in great shape out there.”

Branstine returned to the Aggies’ roster in the conference tournament for the first time since undergoing hip surgery 12 months ago. Her success on tour this season translated to an A&M uniform, as she captured a singles and a doubles victory in the SEC Tournament.

“[She] definitely provides our team more depth,” Stoiana said.

“She’s an experienced tennis player

in all aspects so it’ll be fun to see how we contest other teams with just another level to our lineup.”

The Mitchell Tennis Center’s advantage hasn’t been limited to the men’s squad, as the ladies are gunning for their 54th consecutive victory in College Station. The Aggies are 10-0 at the venerable facility this season while being battle-tested away from it.

“I feel like we’ve traveled more this spring perhaps than we ever have in my coaching career,” Weaver said. “It’s always nice to sleep in your own bed and play on the courts that we’re familiar with. We’ve got a great fan base that’s just growing and growing every year and we’re a pretty tough team to mess with here in Aggieland.”

Power 5 competition will make its way to College Station in the form of Arizona at 17-12 and No. 18 Oklahoma at 18-6 and 11-2 in the Big 12. The Aggies and the Sooners last met in 2022, when Oklahoma put an end to A&M’s 33-2 season in the NCAA quarterfinals.

“We saw the adversity in the beginning of the regular season and in the past years,” Stoiana said. “I actually think it’s kind of nice that we got those hits in the beginning so that way we’re ready to go now in the postseason.”

Top Left: Junior Mary Stoiana returns a volley during Texas A&M’s match against TCU on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, at Mitchell Outdoor Tennis Center. Top Right: Junior J.C. Roddick reacts after scoring a point during Texas A&M’s match against Vanderbilt on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Mitchell Outdoor Tennis Center. Bottom Left: Senior Raphael Perot watches the ball during Texas A&M’s match against Vanderbilt on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Mitchell Outdoor Tennis Center. Bottom Right: Sophomore Mia Kupres hits during Texas A&M’s match against TCU on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 at Mitchell Outdoor Tennis Center.

Photos by Chris Swann — THE BATTALION

rill of the ght

Aggie baseball prepares to square up against Tigers

By Kolton Becker @kolton_becker

For the third straight week in a row, Texas A&M baseball is the No. 1 team in the nation.

A&M will kick off its three-game road series this weekend by traveling down the bayou to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU May 3-5 at Alex Box Stadium.

The Maroon and White are coming off a 10-6 win against Tarleton State, while the Purple and Gold are fresh from a 26-2 Mercy-Rule win over Grambling State.

Last season, LSU won the NCAA National Championship, defeating Florida 18-4. A&M are aiming to put away LSU’s title hopes, return to Omaha and be the first NCAA Division 1 baseball team to 40 wins.

“They are still full of great young

players, great older players,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “They have championship pedigree. There will be a lot on the line, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to play.”

The last time the Aggies made the trip to Alex Box was in March 2022, with A&M taking the series 2-1. Most recently, these two teams faced off in the fourth round of the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament, with the Aggies winning a tight one, 5-4. LSU went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position, and the LSU offense outhit A&M 12-7, but the Aggie pitching staff stranded 12 Tigers.

In that game, the Maroon and White rode in the luggage cart after junior SS Hunter Haas hit the goahead three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh, helping A&M claim a spot in the SEC semifinals.

This past week, senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck was awarded the Midseason Watch List for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, which recognizes the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I.

On the mound in the last matchup between A&M and LSU was Aschenbeck, who earned the win, working 3.0 innings, allowing one run off four hits while striking out four. Aschenbeck’s ability to go deep in games as a relief pitcher and keep the pace in A&M’s favor will likely factor into how the Aggies can win in a challenging environment of Cajuns.

On the road, A&M has lost four games carrying a 7-4 record, losing to Florida twice and Alabama and South Carolina once. LSU is 21-8 at home this season, with a pair of SEC losses to Florida and Vanderbilt and one against Auburn.

In what is bound to be a massive series for both teams — determining the standings and seeds at the end of SEC play — LSU must ensure that its star players will show up and give A&M problems early.

There is one thing guaranteed: A&M will not go down without a fight, especially after being down 9-0 in the first inning last weekend against Georgia before scoring 19 unanswered points and winning

19-9. A&M was also down 4-1 against Tarleton but found a way to add to the win column with the bubbles floating and the Rattlin’ Bog music rolling.

“It seems like we’re always playing from behind in these games, at least for a little bit,” Schlossnagle said.

For A&M to prevent trailing early, it must shut down LSU’s lineup, including juniors Tommy White and Michael Braswell III, graduate Hayden Travinski and sophomore Jared Jones.

LSU’s home run leader is Jones, with 19. White leads the team with 62 hits, 43 RBIs and a .333 batting average. Braswell also leads the team with 11 doubles and a .315 batting average, which is second on the team.

For LSU to knock off A&M, it will have to limit the amount of appearances the Aggies have at the plate. So far this season, A&M is fourth in the nation in both home runs and slugging percentage with 99 home runs and a .594 slugging

percentage. The Maroon and White are also No. 5 in the country in onbase percentage with .438, No. 10 in runs scored with 416, and No. 13 in hits with 474.

“It’s elite college baseball at Texas A&M,” Schlossnagle said. Both squads have electric offenses disciplined at the plate, so creating momentum by reaching base will determine which team takes the series.

Pitching will also be a key this weekend, as both teams are loaded with talent. LSU’s pitching staff is No. 25 in the nation with a 4.38 ERA. Likewise, A&M is No. 8 in the country with a 3.84 ERA.

This weekend’s projected starters for A&M include redshirt sophomore LHP Ryan Prager, junior RHP Tanner Jones and sophomore LHP Justin Lamkin. LSU is expected to see redshirt sophomore LHP Gage Jump and junior RHP Luke Holman on the mound.

First pitch on Friday, May 3 is set for 7 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium, with the game streaming on SEC Network.

Texas A&M pitcher Evan Aschenbeck (53) reacts to getting the final out during A&M’s game against Georgia on Friday, April 26, 2024, at Olsen Field.

Provided

‘It hit me. I was done.’

Graduating sports editor reflects on her time spent with The Battalion

By Kylie Stoner @sportsbystoner

I have always been in love with sports, but I didn’t know what that meant for me. I do now, and it’s all thanks to The Battalion.

When I started at Texas A&M in the fall of 2020, I had my mind set on being a women’s soccer coach.

That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I worked towards.

Well, until I started to coach youth soccer and took an anatomy and physiology course. After I had started on the journey to coaching, I decided that it wasn’t in the cards for me.

I Q-dropped that anatomy class, and soon enough it was time to register for classes.

If you are into sports journalism at A&M, you know Angelique Gammon. I was not into journalism at all, but I searched “sports” in the class search and JOUR 359 - Reporting Sports popped up. I enrolled in it, and I haven’t looked back.

I took Journalism 359 in the spring of 2022. By the following August, I was part of The Battalion’s sports desk on the soccer beat — shocking, I know.

That incredibly humid press box at Ellis Field became my favorite place on

Earth because there I was doing what I loved. I would attend sports desk meetings with my ngers crossed that I would get to write the game that week. To no one’s surprise, I got almost every single one.

In the fall of 2023, I became an editor on the sports desk with Luke and Hunter. With their support, I became more condent in my writing, editing and leadership skills. As much as the boys annoy me like brothers, I have them to thank. So, thank y’all.

As time ticked by, I covered other sports like tennis, football, basketball and softball. Soccer — my one true passion — began to have some competition as I stepped into Davis Diamond for the rst time.

I covered Aggie softball’s rst and second seasons under coach Trisha Ford.

On April 23, I stepped into a press box for the nal time. A&M softball defeated Houston 12-2, and as I walked down to the press conference, I started to tear up.

I had to hold in my emotions as I asked my nal press conference questions to coach Ford and her junior shortstop Koko Wooley.

I nished my story, packed up my bag and took the elevator down for the last time. It hit me. I was done.

My time with The Battalion and A&M has impacted me more than I ever thought they could. I have met amazing friends, and I have learned so very much. Oh, and I learned to never use the Oxford comma.

So, The Batt, I leave you with this: thanks, Gig’em.

One last goodbye

is a privilege to gain a higher education and it is a privilege to be a Fightin’ Texas Aggie.

By Idani Cantu @idanicantu

As my time as a student at Texas A&M comes to an end, I can say I am more than thankful for the opportunity to be a student at such a prestigious institution that welcomed me with open arms.

At rst, I didn’t understand why everyone loved this school so much. I spent the majority of my freshman year watching everyone else fall in love with being an Aggie and partaking in Aggie traditions, while I stood questioning if I was in the right place.

My rst two years at A&M were spent wondering what to do with my time as I tried to make new hobbies and apply for organizations before I realized that I didn’t really care to be a part of them. I didn’t really care to be a part of anything.

I spent most, if not all, of my days going to school, then the gym, then to my apartment where I would spend the remainder of the day in bed rotting away. It was a continuous cycle I wasn’t happy with, and I knew something had to budge if I wanted to enjoy the one year I had left as a college student.

After doing some self-re ection and growing in my faith, I realized that my perspective needed to change. There needed to be a shift, not only in the way I viewed myself but in the way I viewed my opportunities.

I started to gain an appreciation for everything I had, and I learned to understand that it is a privilege to say I am a soon-to-be graduate from Texas A&M University. It is a privilege to be alive, it is a privilege to live away from home, it

I quickly learned that all it took was a change in mindset. I started to view the world in a di erent, much brighter light.

Putting myself out there was de nitely one of the hardest things to do but it was also one of the things I am now most proud of. I learned not to be afraid of rejection, whatever it may be. I learned the importance of building relationships in your community. I even challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone.

I applied for some extracurriculars, got some jobs, a couple internships, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself for learning that it’s okay to have humility and to get back up when something may push you down.

I learned that it’s okay to make mistakes and to laugh at yourself when something embarrassing happens to you. It’s never really that serious, and there’s no reason to be so hard on yourself.

It all started with a change of mindset. By choosing my path instead of waiting to see where I fall, I feel a sense of accomplishment and individuality.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have called College Station my home for the past three years. I saw myself internally grow and evolve into someone I never would have thought I could have been. If I was able to go back in time to my freshman year, I would tell myself, who was convinced that being an animal science major was the only route to success, that sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and that’s okay. The Lord has bigger and better plans that we may not yet be aware of. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.

Thanks and Gig ‘em.

by Kylie Stoner