If there’s no quit in Aggies, there’s a whole lot of Aggie in Deshae Lott ’94 ‘99.

It’s not as if Adelia Humme ’15 was completely clueless about Texas A&M and its traditions. She is, after all, a third-generation Aggie.

Bottom line, every high school student scoping out colleges looks for the right fit—the right fit, as in, the perfect mix of academics and campus culture, not to mention the biggest bang for the collegiate buck. National Merit scholar Eric Blackman ’13 found the fit he was looking for at Texas A&M.

It all started at the movies. Well, sort of. Paul Kelly III ’12 was in his first year of high school when his family decided to travel to Texas A&M to visit his cousin, Nicole Minicone ‘09. Like most visitors, the Kellys swung by Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center, where Paul caught the video that would change his life.

Industrial engineers are creative folks. They look at everything from facilities to people processes and come up with ways to make life easier on everyone by improving efficiency. That’s what drew Daniel Magallanes ’10 to the field in the first place: He relished the chance to tap his imagination for ways to make things better. See, creativity could have been Daniel’s middle name.

Ernest Boyer, a noted American educator, once stated, “A college or university, at its best, is an open, honest community, a place where freedom of expression is uncompromisingly protected and where civility is powerfully affirmed. It is a just community, a place where the dignity of all individuals is affirmed and where equality of opportunity is vigorously pursued.”

Call it a classic case of all’s well that ends well. When Marquis Alexander ’13 applied to Texas A&M – the only college he wanted to attend after he got a taste of the Corps through the Junior Cadet Accessions Program (JCAP) – he figured he would join the military after he got his degree. Good plan, but things didn’t quite work out that way.

Maybe it’s the quick smile and ready laugh, or maybe it’s her openness and obvious willingness to give you her full attention, but Morgan Hiser ’12 has a way about her. The Edinburg, TX, native is a people person in the truest sense—always eager to meet someone new, always looking for a chance to share herself or pass along what she has learned.

Ever meet someone who compares electrical physics to a Sudoku puzzle? Ever meet someone who chose a demanding major based on a single chapter in a high school physics book? If not, you probably haven’t met Justin Colborg ’12.

Qatar Aggie Fatima Makki ’13 didn’t know what to expect when she visited Texas as part of the 2010 Qatar Spring Leadership Exchange. Stares, maybe, because she wears the veil? Worse yet, what if people were reluctant to talk to her? Fortunately, her first five minutes at the airport in Houston laid all her concerns to rest.