COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Almost as long as there's been Texas A&M University, there's been an Aggie Network.
Only three years after the school opened, a group of former Corps of Cadets members gathered in Houston to create the very first alumni association.
"What makes the Aggie Networks so unique Is that uncommon loyalty," Association Vice President Scot Walker said. "There are no other universities, anywhere where students build an affinity while they're here and then leave and maintain that affinity for the rest of their lives."
For the last 144 years, The Association of Former Students has been promoting the welfare of Texas A&M University, strengthening the bonds of the Aggie Network, protecting the integrity of the Aggie ring, and promoting the Aggie spirit.
"Texas A&M is so strong and getting stronger. I have no doubt that there will be another 144 years," Walker said. "I can't even imagine what this place is going to look like then, but I know some things that won't have changed, that Aggie Spirit, those shared experiences, some of our traditions."
Currently, there have been over 575,000 former students in Texas A&M's history, with plenty more to be added to that number in the future.
In fact, the class of 2027's time in Aggieland is just beginning, and Walker says they shouldn't waste any time building their Aggie Network.
"Three and a half years later, as you're looking for a job, moving out into the workforce, you will have all of those people in place who are there and ready to support you, and you won't have to be starting from scratch to build that network," Walker said.
Also on KAGS: