I've been thinking about this ring since I first went to fish camp the summer before freshman year.
Pining after it, really.
I can't count the number of times I double-, triple-, quadruple-checked my transcripts to see if I would be able to get my ring that semester or the next.
I stared at everyone else's rings all the time.
I designed and redesigned my ring online -- diamond, no diamond? Antique or classic gold? TOO MANY OPTIONS.
Well, last Friday, I *finally* got my ring. I'd be lying if I said I didn't kind of well up when I first put it on. It was about damn time.
I can't explain the obsession Aggies have with their Aggie ring. I tried a hundred times to explain to my parents exactly why it was so important they take Friday the 15th off of work to come down to College Station, but the most coherent argument I could come up with was "well.... because... it's important and uhh... hyneehhhh...AGGIE RING."
But there's something about this ring. Maybe it's the fact that it's the same for every class year -- the only customization you get it the type of gold, your class year, and whether or not you want a diamond on it. Maybe it's because you have to earn it. Maybe it's because seeing it on someone else's right ring finger is like an immediate sign that that person is an Aggie; that he or she is family. Which sounds crazy -- at a school of thousands of graduates a year, how can everyone who wears an Aggie ring be family? But they are. There's something about being an Aggie that means you're part of a family, a family beyond yourself and within which you're constantly discovering new members.
But enough of my existential rambling. Here's some photos the very sweet Mike took on my Aggie Ring Day. Also, yes, I *am* wearing a maroon fancy dress. Typical, really. :)
Again, all photos property of Mike. I'll take my own close up of the ring and add it, so you can see the detail. :)
Raise your hand if you've got your Aggie ring!
Pining after it, really.
I can't count the number of times I double-, triple-, quadruple-checked my transcripts to see if I would be able to get my ring that semester or the next.
I stared at everyone else's rings all the time.
I designed and redesigned my ring online -- diamond, no diamond? Antique or classic gold? TOO MANY OPTIONS.
Well, last Friday, I *finally* got my ring. I'd be lying if I said I didn't kind of well up when I first put it on. It was about damn time.
I can't explain the obsession Aggies have with their Aggie ring. I tried a hundred times to explain to my parents exactly why it was so important they take Friday the 15th off of work to come down to College Station, but the most coherent argument I could come up with was "well.... because... it's important and uhh... hyneehhhh...AGGIE RING."
But there's something about this ring. Maybe it's the fact that it's the same for every class year -- the only customization you get it the type of gold, your class year, and whether or not you want a diamond on it. Maybe it's because you have to earn it. Maybe it's because seeing it on someone else's right ring finger is like an immediate sign that that person is an Aggie; that he or she is family. Which sounds crazy -- at a school of thousands of graduates a year, how can everyone who wears an Aggie ring be family? But they are. There's something about being an Aggie that means you're part of a family, a family beyond yourself and within which you're constantly discovering new members.
But enough of my existential rambling. Here's some photos the very sweet Mike took on my Aggie Ring Day. Also, yes, I *am* wearing a maroon fancy dress. Typical, really. :)
Again, all photos property of Mike. I'll take my own close up of the ring and add it, so you can see the detail. :)
Raise your hand if you've got your Aggie ring!
AH VALORIE. Congratulations! And hey, I totally teared up when I got my ring, too -- I think that's normal. Ha. And you're right, the importance of and emotion behind an Aggie ring is pretty indescribable. I'm right there with ya.
ReplyDeleteAgain, congrats! I know what a huge day Friday was and I'm so happy for you! WHOOP!
My sister STILL wears hers everyday, along with her engagement and wedding ring. It's an aggie thing.
ReplyDeletecongrats! it's such a great accomplishment. I love wearing mine :)
ReplyDeleteI've worn my every single day for the past 12 yrs and I still love just looking at it! My kids put it on their fingers from time to time, and I tell them how proud they will be when they put their own on their finger. Always wear your ring with pride, you've earned it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! What an accomplishment! Great photos, too!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, that's awesome! I went to Penn State and rings weren't a big thing there, but I'm sure you're so excited about your accomplisment!
ReplyDelete