From the 2 a.m. bus rides home from away games and rapidly reading notes before an exam the next morning to laughing at practice about an inside joke and embracing teammates after a huge win, 78 Aggie student athletes remember many moments before they toss their graduation caps high in the air at the May ceremonies this weekend.
"I've been waiting for this day for so long and now, it's finally here," women's tennis standout Rutuja Bhosale said. "It's happy and sad at the same time. I'm just excited to be done and I will cherish all the moments I've had at A&M."
To honor the senior class and their accomplishments, families and teammates gathered at the North All-American Club at Kyle Field, decorated with confetti and balloons, for a reception full of pastries, fresh fruit and photo-ops.
Upon receiving a maroon silk sash with cursive white "Student Athlete" recognition, both comical and heartfelt reflections were given by scholastic supervisors about each athlete earning their degree.
"Our senior class is made up of not only phenomenal athletes but phenomenal students and phenomenal people," Deputy Director of Athletics Stephanie Rempe said. "They've impacted the community and won numerous awards, not only athletically, but academically and in the community. It's exciting to see what they're going to do with their futures and how much they're going to impact this world."
Quarterback and holder Conner McQueen said he can still remember his first day as a student.
"My first day on campus, I just was trying not to get lost," McQueen said. "The day before, my roommates and I walked around campus trying to find out where our classes were going to be so we wouldn't be late. Now, just looking back, it seems silly that's what we were worried about. It's kind of crazy thinking it was just a couple of years ago."
For McQueen, an Aggie from an early age, graduating from Texas A&M has been a lifelong dream.
"Some of the best memories I have are just after football games, sawing 'em off in front of the 12th Man after a win on Kyle Field," McQueen said. "That's something that I'll never forget."
Fellow football teammate, Boone Niederhofer will be graduating with the engineering students on the same Kyle Field where many victories and practices have taken place.
"I did engineering and football, two things that are very time consuming so time management was a big deal," Niederhofer said. "I've never been one to kind of do things halfway and so I gave it my all in both areas."
His advice to younger teammates centers on persistence.
"I would say that you need to be prepared to do 5:30 a.m. workouts in the morning. You've got to start at the bottom and work your way up. Every year it got more and more fun for me, so stick with it," Niederhofer said. "It's a lot of fun. Five years I wouldn't trade for the world."
Many families attended the Graduation Celebration, too, some seeing the campus for the first time.
Elite backstroke swimmer Alexandros Theocharidis' parents traveled to the United States for the first time from Greece, while Bhosale's family came from out of state and her mother visited Texas A&M for the first time from India.
Having grown into well-rounded individuals, Aggie athletes will inevitably go on to help others with their respective degrees around the globe.
"Our student athletes come here to have a tremendous experience both on the competition arena as well as in the classroom, but also really be a part of the community because so much about Texas A&M is about service," Rempe said. "I think we support all of the values of this institution through our academic support and our student athlete engagement programs to make sure that they are doing much, much more than academics and athletics."
Volleyball player Angela Lowak, who spoke at the event about service and diamonds being put under pressure, agreed.
"A lot of the reason we're able to deal with that pressure is because of the support staff," Lowak said. "You constantly have people encouraging you when you find yourself in that rough patch. You have someone saying 'you can do it, put that foot in front of your other foot, keep going.'"
For Lowak being an Aggie is a family tradition.
Although there were difficulties, including having to overcome a knee injury that drastically altered her senior season, she was recognized as a four time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, two time SEC Community Service Award honoree and her senior year, earned the Texas A&M Most inspirational Player and Aggie Excellence Award.
"My faith [helped me too] honestly because there were difficult moments when you don't know how you're going to do it and so I relied on God and that He had a plan for me and that He was going to take care of me," Lowak said.
She said she feels peace about her future plans including playing professional volleyball for VC Kanti in Switzerland.
Lowak is humbled and grateful for the lessons she learned while in college, the biggest being selflessness.
"Being part of a team, you learn a lot of things. One of the most important things you learn is that it's not about you," Lowak said. "It's really about the people you're surrounded by, taking care of them and helping them be better versions of themselves. That flows over to the court [and] competing. When you're on the court, you've got to take care of your teammates. You can't just focus on yourself."
Men's track and field and cross country competitor, Elliott Farris appreciates all the moments that he's had with his teammates, as well.
"Travel trips are always fun, especially after big races when we've done well," Farris said. "Going out getting dinner, watching a movie, having a lot to celebrate and getting up at the crack of dawn and going for a two hour long run [are] fun things that I'm going to miss doing."
A few student athletes even came back to College Station to earn their degree including Jeremy Efferding, who became a professional tennis player a few years ago but re-enrolled this fall while recovering from an injury.
In addition to meeting his wife at Texas A&M, the All-American is being recognized this weekend by his college as a Distinguished Honor Grad.
Lance Jackson, who played football in the early 80s and went on to make an impact with the Lincoln Center in College Station, will also walk across the graduation stage.
Scholastic supervisor Garry Gibson spoke about the perseverance, resilience and dedication of golfer and cancer survivor Dylan Siebenaler, who didn't take a single semester off even when he underwent chemotherapy treatments. He earned a 4.0 that same spring.
Double major in cellular molecular biology and applied mathematics, swimmer Antoine Marc, who has earned numerous academic accolades, was described by scholastic supervisor Kristi Mejias as the "epitome of a student athlete."
"It's a balancing act," Marc said. "At first you have no idea how to do it. You get bogged down. You get swamped. You get pretty much beaten up both physically and mentally because of school, but then after a while you get used to the demands [and] learn how to prioritize your responsibilities."
The Class of 2017 boasts big goals for the future, including graduate studies, tackling the job field or competing in professional sports.
However, many like Marc, have a special place in their heart for A&M that could one day see them return to where it all began.
"My ultimate goal is to be a team physician for a professional team or a university, so hopefully, one day I can be the team doc coming back to A&M," Marc said "Just coming back home to my alma mater [would] be the best thing I could ever do."
Associate Athletics Director for Academics, Dr. Jeff Guin is impressed with the accomplishments of the senior class.
"Each year, we seem like we're getting more All-Americans, whether it's Academic All-Americans or All-Americans in their sport," Guin said. "More championships [and] more kids [are] graduating each year. They just keep raising the bar for the next group coming in."
"I've been waiting for this day for so long and now, it's finally here," women's tennis standout Rutuja Bhosale said. "It's happy and sad at the same time. I'm just excited to be done and I will cherish all the moments I've had at A&M."
Congratulations Rutuja Bhosale!!! #BTHOncaas pic.twitter.com/y2ZcE7f79I
— Aggie Women's Tennis (@AggieWTEN) May 11, 2017
To honor the senior class and their accomplishments, families and teammates gathered at the North All-American Club at Kyle Field, decorated with confetti and balloons, for a reception full of pastries, fresh fruit and photo-ops.
Upon receiving a maroon silk sash with cursive white "Student Athlete" recognition, both comical and heartfelt reflections were given by scholastic supervisors about each athlete earning their degree.
"Our senior class is made up of not only phenomenal athletes but phenomenal students and phenomenal people," Deputy Director of Athletics Stephanie Rempe said. "They've impacted the community and won numerous awards, not only athletically, but academically and in the community. It's exciting to see what they're going to do with their futures and how much they're going to impact this world."
Quarterback and holder Conner McQueen said he can still remember his first day as a student.
"My first day on campus, I just was trying not to get lost," McQueen said. "The day before, my roommates and I walked around campus trying to find out where our classes were going to be so we wouldn't be late. Now, just looking back, it seems silly that's what we were worried about. It's kind of crazy thinking it was just a couple of years ago."
For McQueen, an Aggie from an early age, graduating from Texas A&M has been a lifelong dream.
"Some of the best memories I have are just after football games, sawing 'em off in front of the 12th Man after a win on Kyle Field," McQueen said. "That's something that I'll never forget."
Congrats to all of the #TAMUgrads this weekend! #12thMan pic.twitter.com/cAaMdhsXwO
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) May 11, 2017
Fellow football teammate, Boone Niederhofer will be graduating with the engineering students on the same Kyle Field where many victories and practices have taken place.
"I did engineering and football, two things that are very time consuming so time management was a big deal," Niederhofer said. "I've never been one to kind of do things halfway and so I gave it my all in both areas."
His advice to younger teammates centers on persistence.
"I would say that you need to be prepared to do 5:30 a.m. workouts in the morning. You've got to start at the bottom and work your way up. Every year it got more and more fun for me, so stick with it," Niederhofer said. "It's a lot of fun. Five years I wouldn't trade for the world."
Many families attended the Graduation Celebration, too, some seeing the campus for the first time.
Elite backstroke swimmer Alexandros Theocharidis' parents traveled to the United States for the first time from Greece, while Bhosale's family came from out of state and her mother visited Texas A&M for the first time from India.
Having grown into well-rounded individuals, Aggie athletes will inevitably go on to help others with their respective degrees around the globe.
"Our student athletes come here to have a tremendous experience both on the competition arena as well as in the classroom, but also really be a part of the community because so much about Texas A&M is about service," Rempe said. "I think we support all of the values of this institution through our academic support and our student athlete engagement programs to make sure that they are doing much, much more than academics and athletics."
Volleyball player Angela Lowak, who spoke at the event about service and diamonds being put under pressure, agreed.
Kim Williams, Kaysie Shebeneck, Emily Hardesty, Angela Lowak & Shelby Sullivan at today's graduation celebration. Congrats to all graduates?? pic.twitter.com/KBpv4qd4PM
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) May 11, 2017
"A lot of the reason we're able to deal with that pressure is because of the support staff," Lowak said. "You constantly have people encouraging you when you find yourself in that rough patch. You have someone saying 'you can do it, put that foot in front of your other foot, keep going.'"
For Lowak being an Aggie is a family tradition.
Although there were difficulties, including having to overcome a knee injury that drastically altered her senior season, she was recognized as a four time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, two time SEC Community Service Award honoree and her senior year, earned the Texas A&M Most inspirational Player and Aggie Excellence Award.
"My faith [helped me too] honestly because there were difficult moments when you don't know how you're going to do it and so I relied on God and that He had a plan for me and that He was going to take care of me," Lowak said.
She said she feels peace about her future plans including playing professional volleyball for VC Kanti in Switzerland.
Congratulations Angela Lowak!!! pic.twitter.com/a8VNpZmLFp
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) May 11, 2017
Lowak is humbled and grateful for the lessons she learned while in college, the biggest being selflessness.
"Being part of a team, you learn a lot of things. One of the most important things you learn is that it's not about you," Lowak said. "It's really about the people you're surrounded by, taking care of them and helping them be better versions of themselves. That flows over to the court [and] competing. When you're on the court, you've got to take care of your teammates. You can't just focus on yourself."
Men's track and field and cross country competitor, Elliott Farris appreciates all the moments that he's had with his teammates, as well.
"Travel trips are always fun, especially after big races when we've done well," Farris said. "Going out getting dinner, watching a movie, having a lot to celebrate and getting up at the crack of dawn and going for a two hour long run [are] fun things that I'm going to miss doing."
A few student athletes even came back to College Station to earn their degree including Jeremy Efferding, who became a professional tennis player a few years ago but re-enrolled this fall while recovering from an injury.
In addition to meeting his wife at Texas A&M, the All-American is being recognized this weekend by his college as a Distinguished Honor Grad.
Lance Jackson, who played football in the early 80s and went on to make an impact with the Lincoln Center in College Station, will also walk across the graduation stage.
Congrats to Lance Jackson, 30 years after last suiting up in the Maroon & White he walked the stage #12thMan #TAMUGrad pic.twitter.com/1i54Cu128F
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) May 12, 2017
Scholastic supervisor Garry Gibson spoke about the perseverance, resilience and dedication of golfer and cancer survivor Dylan Siebenaler, who didn't take a single semester off even when he underwent chemotherapy treatments. He earned a 4.0 that same spring.
Double major in cellular molecular biology and applied mathematics, swimmer Antoine Marc, who has earned numerous academic accolades, was described by scholastic supervisor Kristi Mejias as the "epitome of a student athlete."
"It's a balancing act," Marc said. "At first you have no idea how to do it. You get bogged down. You get swamped. You get pretty much beaten up both physically and mentally because of school, but then after a while you get used to the demands [and] learn how to prioritize your responsibilities."
The Class of 2017 boasts big goals for the future, including graduate studies, tackling the job field or competing in professional sports.
However, many like Marc, have a special place in their heart for A&M that could one day see them return to where it all began.
"My ultimate goal is to be a team physician for a professional team or a university, so hopefully, one day I can be the team doc coming back to A&M," Marc said "Just coming back home to my alma mater [would] be the best thing I could ever do."
Associate Athletics Director for Academics, Dr. Jeff Guin is impressed with the accomplishments of the senior class.
"Each year, we seem like we're getting more All-Americans, whether it's Academic All-Americans or All-Americans in their sport," Guin said. "More championships [and] more kids [are] graduating each year. They just keep raising the bar for the next group coming in."