An Aggie’s First Howdy: How Dalton Jones Welcomes Transfer Students to Texas A&M
Dalton Jones supports transfer students in getting connected and feeling confident as they start their journey as Aggies.
From a 1985 student football coupon book to an Aggie joke book to Corps of Cadets boots, Dalton Jones’ office is a proud testament to the storied traditions and culture that define Texas A&M. The museum also shows how he is the perfect person to welcome transfer students to Aggieland and join a community that lasts a lifetime.
Growing up as a multigenerational Bryan native, Jones regularly attended campus events with his parents, who are also former students.
“I didn’t have a full idea of what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to go to Texas A&M,” shared Jones. “What drew me to Texas A&M initially was joining the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and the Corps of Cadets.”
Years later, Jones found himself living his childhood dreams, marching across Kyle Field with his alto sax and completing the Aggie Band’s renowned maneuvers. Off the field, he guided fellow Aggies by becoming involved with Aggie Transition Camps twice. He first served as a counselor and then as co-chair of the student leadership team, donning colorful overalls to introduce transfer students to the spirit of Texas A&M. He recalls how his peers from that experience helped shape his career path.
“I’ll never forget Ronny James, who was one of the counselors I worked with and who was a transfer student himself,” said Jones. “When he shared that it took five tries to receive his acceptance letter to Texas A&M, I was inspired by his resilience and realized I wanted to continue being involved with supporting transfer students.”
This led him to the RELLIS campus after he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in University Studies Leadership in 2019, where he worked on improving transfer recruitment and admissions processes. Being on the admissions side of the transfer experience allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the unique support these students need.
“Some think that transfer students have an easier time transitioning to Texas A&M because they’ve been a part of other institutions, but they still need our help because they’ve ultimately uprooted their lives to come here,” Jones explained.
After three years at the RELLIS campus, and simultaneously earning his master’s degree in higher education leadership at Tarleton State University, Jones joined the Department of Student Activities in 2022 as a student development specialist. As part of the Extended Orientations office, he applied his know-how from his previous roles to manage Aggie Transition Camps. His success in the role led to his recent promotion as program manager. Now overseeing Fish Camp, he has expanded his mission to help Aggies with their introduction to life at Texas A&M.
A Transfer Student’s First Texas A&M Experience
Out of the more than 80,000 students at Texas A&M, around 5,000 are transfers. For a large campus, this means that it can be difficult for transfer students to find one another and connect. This is where Aggie Transition Camps, which include T-Camp in the summer and Howdy Camp during the winter, provide a dedicated meeting space for transfer students to be introduced to all that Texas A&M has to offer.
“Aggie Transition Camps are a crash course,” Jones said. “While transfer students have done their research on Texas A&M, we’re here to fill in the gaps, provide transfer-specific resources and be a low-stakes place where they can meet new friends.”
We get to serve as that first warm ‘Howdy’ to set them on the right foot at Texas A&M.
To better address the needs of transfer students, the student leadership team recently moved Aggie Transition Camps to an on-campus format. Through the change, more students have been able to participate in the program, while also getting a better feel of campus life before their first day of school. The shift has reflected Jones’ belief that the Aggie experience and welcome should be more accessible to students. As camp participants learn yells and how to “whoop,” he is reminded of the power of resilience every time he meets a new student.
“Every student has their own story that led them to Texas A&M, and when they arrive to camp, it reminds you of how you can overcome every challenge to get where you want to be,” he said.
And most importantly for Jones, he points out the true meaning behind Aggie Transition Camps.
“We get to serve as that first warm ‘Howdy’ to set them on the right foot at Texas A&M.”
Get to Know Dalton Jones
You grew up in Aggieland with both parents being former students. How did you make the decision to stay and become an Aggie yourself?
Both of my parents are Fightin’ Texas Aggies Class of 1990, and growing up in Bryan, Texas A&M was just part of my everyday life. I always knew I wanted to join the Aggie Band and the Corps of Cadets — that was a big part of my college decision.
But what really shaped my path when I got here was getting involved in so many different aspects of the student experience. Outside of the Aggie Band, I worked with Fish Camp and served as a student leader in Aggie Transition Camps at various levels. I was also a student worker with the Association of Former Students on their events team, and I served as an ambassador for the Aggie Network. Having all these different perspectives on the college student experience opened my eyes and influenced my decision to work in student affairs and make it my career to introduce people to the Aggie experience.
Why should transfer students attend T-Camp or Howdy Camp? What would you say to an incoming student who is on the fence about attending?
Aggie Transition Camps will help you fill in the gaps in your knowledge about Texas A&M. But it’s also some of the most fun you will ever have during your time here. You get to live the Aggie life, while not having to worry about anything else, whether it’s work or classes, and just have a good time.
If you’re hesitant because of the registration fee or other costs, let’s connect! We’re lucky to have an endowment that provides scholarships for students to attend. We want to remove as many barriers as possible so that you can participate.
You were recently promoted to work on Fish Camp, where you will be welcoming incoming freshman students. Before you embark on this new journey, can you share what your day-to-day looks like supporting Aggie Transition Camps and how you will bring those experiences into your new role?
Every week, I work with about 10 students who serve as the executive student leaders of Aggie Transition Camps across all different things, whether it’s marketing, risk management or finance. I also manage the programs to create contracts with vendors and reach out across the campus to different colleges and cross-campus partners to get the word out about Aggie Transition Camps and find ways so that the proper resources and information from these groups can reach transfer students.
Fish Camp will be much larger in scope and scale, but I’ll bring the same knowledge in working with campus communities and off-campus partners. I was also a Fish Camp counselor when I was a student, so I’m excited to return as a staff member.
What is your standout Texas A&M memory from your time as a student?
My first Aggie game, wearing my senior Corps boots in the Aggie Band, was also the very first game that we played against UCLA. As a part of that experience, the Aggie Band was also invited to march at Disneyland. A former student heard about the invitation and bestowed a gift upon the band so that everyone could visit the park and march. It was such a fun experience, being able to march down Main Street, play and bring the Aggie Spirit to California. It was also super hot, and we all sweated even through the leather boots, which was crazy.
Beyond your deep connection to Texas A&M, what are some of your passions outside of work?
I’m a musical theater performer and actor and am quite heavily active in the Bryan-College Station community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I got really bored and decided to try acting. I found the local company and fell in love with musical theater. From there, it’s been a whirlwind of a ride. I’ve done some background acting for Netflix and have worked with Tony award-winning actors and producers from Broadway, as part of a musical theater workshop in Austin. My biggest claim to fame, though, is that I got to play SpongeBob in our local production of SpongeBob the Musical!
