"It's Been a Trip!"

Daniel Springer '09 is relaxed and articulate.  Listening to him describe his Aggie experience, you would never guess that last fall he could barely open his mouth in front of the twenty-five people in his speech class.  You would have no trouble at all believing he gave presentations to hundreds of students and their families this summer.  What changed a hesitant public speaker into a cool, confident presenter?  Daniel credits the Aggie Orientation Leader Program (AOLP).

As the first member of his family to go to college, Daniel had to figure out university life pretty much on his own.  He hadn’t been too involved at his Round Rock high school, serving just one year as photo editor for the yearbook, but a great experience at Aggie Fish Camp inspired him to apply to be a counselor.  One problem:  He wasn’t selected.  Fortunately for Daniel—and several thousand future Aggies—he had joined Lambda Chi Alpha, and one of his fraternity brothers happened to be on the AOLP Executive Committee.

Remembering their conversations, Daniel smiles.  “He kept recruiting me, kept telling me, ‘If you were interested in Fish Camp, you’ll like this.’  So I finally applied and got it ... had no idea what I was getting into.  I knew they did New Student Conferences, but that was all I knew.”

“Doing New Student Conferences” is putting it mildly.  Aggie Orientation Leaders welcome new students to campus during New Student Conferences and represent Texas A&M to new and prospective students.  They help freshmen adjust and get them excited about being Aggies.  In addition to presenting various programs at the conferences, their role can include everything from giving reassurance and advice to providing encouragement and information.

To say joining AOLP was a good move on Daniel’s part would be an understatement—it was nothing less than life-changing.

Career Track Takes a Hard Left
Daniel entered Texas A&M with a chemistry major and a philosophy minor, intending to go to pharmacy school.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t making the grades, so by the time he got into AOLP, his pharmaceutical future was already very much in doubt.  Working with the New Student Programs Office (housed in the Offices of the Dean of Student Life) presented him with a welcome, exciting alternative.

“I changed my career path as a result of my involvement,” he says.  “Now I’m planning to go to grad school for Student Affairs.”  Asked if he plans to work his way up to a Vice President for Student Affairs position, he grins.  “Well, you know, the thought had crossed my mind.”

Since Daniel no longer plans to go to pharmacy school, he has switched to a philosophy major with a chemistry minor.  The Texas A&M Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education Program (SAAHE) is his first choice for graduate school, but he figures he might take a year off before applying.  The break would give him a chance to travel the country as a consultant for Lambda Chi Alpha’s national headquarters.

No Place to Go But Up
As it turned out, becoming an Aggie Orientation Leader was just the beginning.  Daniel loved the organization, loved what they did, and loved the people he met ... not to mention the friendships and connections he made.  Anyone wondering if AOLP was a good fit need only check out the awards he raked in that first year, including Outstanding Orientation Leader.  As a matter of fact, the organization was such a good fit, he became a mentor the following year, acting as a liaison between Orientation Leaders and the Executive Committee, helping create the ties that bind the organization into a close-knit group.

“Basically, we were the social arm,” Daniel explains.  “We ran the Families—the small groups we break our membership down into—and were in charge of making sure everyone made a successful transition into the organization.  Once summer hit, we took on a more orientation-leader-type role.”

Well, one thing led to another, and last year Daniel found himself eying the AOLP co-director position.  “I wasn’t sure I was ready for the time commitment,” he confesses.  “I was also trying to decide whether I wanted to do that or run for president of my fraternity.  It was a tough decision, but in the end, I wound up applying.”

He and biomedical science major Megan Higginbotham ’09 got the jobs and hit the ground running—going on a retreat with the outgoing co-directors, planning procedures for the upcoming year, attending the MSC Fall Leadership Conference. 

In addition to setting the tone and laying the groundwork, Daniel and Megan selected the Executive Committee and  participated in the Orientation Leader selection process.  Applications for both groups were up last year, with 21 Aggies applying to be Execs (14 were selected) and around 120 vying for 90 Orientation Leader positions.  The large applicant pools allowed the Co-Directors to be extremely selective, an advantage Daniel says has “paid dividends.”  Summer 2009 has gone even better than he hoped it would.

Come and Grow
Asked why he thinks prospective students should consider Texas A&M, Daniel points to the University’s growing presence on the national stage.  He also touts the benefits he has reaped through his involvement in Greek Life—he’ll be Director of Marketing for the Interfraternity Council this year—and the Aggie Orientation Leader Program.

“It’s the atmosphere.  Coming to A&M is a life-changing experience,” he says.  “I went from being a student who was barely involved and stayed in my own little group of friends to someone who networks like a mad man.  I’m doing all kinds of things I never thought I would have or could have done.  I’ve grown more this year than any other year of my life.  It’s been a trip!”

To find out more about the Aggie Orientation Leader Program, please visit http://aolp.tamu.edu/.

Information on Lambda Chi Alpha is available at http://www.aggielambdachi.org/.

To find out more about Greek Life at Texas A&M, please visit http://greeklife.tamu.edu/.

Contributed by:
Kathy DiSanto, Communications Specialist
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Photography by:
Bryce Swihart, Graphic Designer
Department of Information Technology