Our School's KRAY.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 might be one of the best days of the entire year. It was Rev Night for MSC FISH and it was the first time we met our schools. We all gathered behind Academic Plaza at 5 PM in our unique costumes. Brett and I dressed up as Superman and Super Girl—because we’re going to have a super school. There were all sorts of different outfits—such as gnomes, cookie monsters, country folks, gangstas, 20’s style flappers, and even Mario/Luigi. Over 50 “Old School” FISH showed up to be the walking buddies for our freshmen. We were so thankful for each and every one of them coming to be a part of this special night. We took pictures and socialized before we all headed off to our individual stations. Brett and I were stationed underneath the Bell Tower near the MSC. Several different groups of kids traveled to our station. We introduced ourselves and played an ice-breaker game. After about 10 minutes, they walked to their next station on campus. It was so crazy to see all of the newest members of MSC FISH. Our babies were here—and it was impossible to contain our excitement. As the last group began to arrive, Brett and I (dressed as superheroes) hid behind the pillar of the clock tower. We were given several stare downs from passing cars and even some special shout outs from other pedestrians. Once the freshmen were all under the tower, they placed their name tags together into a puzzle formation. On the back of the poster board was a quote. It said, “Heroes are made from the paths they choose, not from the powers they are graced with.” Upon the conclusion of that quote, Brett and I jumped out from behind the pillar and met OUR school for the very first time. I screamed—because I was simply too excited. Hopefully, we didn’t scare anyone off. As our school began talking, we were instructed to pick a school name and color. Naturally, our school chose the name KRAY—Kicking Randomness At You. OUR SCHOOL’S KRAY. Our colors are chartreuse and violet. They are all unbelievably perfect and I feel so lucky to spend the next year with each of them. It is true that I stalked all of their Facebook accounts prior to Rev Night. So, I already knew all of their names by heart. Saying I was excited was an understatement. We headed over to our first meeting in the MSC and sat together as a school. All of the Executive Directors and Assistant Directors introduced themselves—along with the introductions of each committee. After the meeting, KRAY went to the basement of the MSC and grubbed on some cookie cake. This was our first official school “get-together” and I know there will be a million-ba-jillion more.  Our group text is already blowing up and tonight is the MSC FISH retreat. More bonding, more fun, more friends, more happiness. All 80 of our freshmen are unbelievable. All 16 of our AD’s are rockstars. All 8 of the schools are unique. All of MSC FISH is perfect. This year is going to be the best year of my life… I can already feel it.

Partner Reveal

Partner reveal for MSC FISH happened over a week ago, but I figured Brett Graham still needed his own personal blog post. Sunday, September 9^th our entire staff met in the Student Programming Office for a meeting regarding interview week. After our meeting, we went on a journey throughout campus in an attempt to discover who our partner would be. There were several “fake” partnerships along the way which made it highly entertaining. I honestly thought any of the men on staff would have made incredible partners. In the final reveal, I found out that Brett Graham and I are partners for this upcoming year. WE will have our OWN school!!! For those of you that may be confused, “schools” are the social part of FISH. Each school is led by an Assistant Director partnership and is made up of ten freshmen: five guys and five girls. Schools go on road trips, hangout during the week, and participate in a wide variety of other activities. My school last year, Toates Angsty Platypi, was perfect and I can’t wait to see what craziness my new school will bring. All last week we held interviews for MSC FISH—the 5^th floor of Rudder Tower became our new home. It was exhausting and repetitive, but at least I was in good company. The past two weeks have redefined what it means to me to be busy. If we weren’t in class, we were in interviews. Where did studying fit in? It didn’t. However, all of our long days became worth it on Sunday night. It happened to be my 20th birthday and we were finally able to read off our list of 80 fantastic freshmen. I couldn’t think of a more perfect birthday present than being able to call all of our new babies! Tonight marks the last night we will be without our schools. Tomorrow is the start of a new chapter and an incredible journey. Our perfect freshmen are coming within the next 24 hours and I cannot contain my excitement. Brett will be the absolute perfect partner for me—he has already been amazing so far. The freshmen will adore him almost as much as I do and I can’t wait to watch our partnership grow throughout this next year. Actual school is stressful and time is limited, but it is organizations like MSC FISH and people like this that make my college experience. I am beyond thankful to serve as an Assistant Director this year. Every partnership has the potential to create “power” schools this year, but with Brett and me as a duo… the possibilities are endless. LET’S DO THIS!

FISH RECRUITMENT

I am serving as an Assistant Director for MSC FISH for this upcoming year. MSC FISH is a Freshman Leadership Organization on campus and is absolutely my favorite part about Texas A&M. With that said, I couldn’t be more excited to give back to this incredible organization and provide the Class of 2016 with the same experience. I know it will be challenging and require immense patience, but the best is still to come for my time in MSC FISH. This week was the start of our intense recruitment process. All throughout sorority recruitment, the other Assistant Directors were planning videos, painting banners, and preparing for this week. Thankfully, I am surrounded by incredible leaders and they picked up my slack while I was preoccupied. On Sunday, we hosted a table at MSC Open House. This was our first opportunity to get our name out there and start finding our future fishes. We ran through the halls of the MSC with neon signs, passed our playing cards that reflected our “Go FISH” theme, and held countless conversations with freshmen. Even though we are all incredibly passionate about the mission and vision for MSC FISH, at the end of the day… we just want these freshmen to find a place they can call home. For us, that was MSC FISH and that will hopefully hold true for 80 unknown freshmen. Monday morning was the official kick off to recruitment week. We all wore our hats and infamous blue tanks on campus all week. Between the 16 AD’s, we held banners in three locations on campus from 8 AM – 5 PM every single day. If you weren’t in class, you were holding a banner. Yes, it was hot. Yes, we got tired. Yes, we stayed hydrated. And yes, it will be worth it. It has been the longest week of my life. I have had several break downs at random moments. I have felt overwhelmed and schoolwork took a temporary back seat. We held three informationals at night where the freshmen could learn all about MSC FISH, our committees, and our purpose. They could ask questions and socialize with the staff members. Each informational had an incredible turn out, but I’ll never forget literally “running” from one organization to the next on Wednesday night. As I reflect back on the week I just had, I can’t help but smile. I am still exhausted and I can’t exactly think straight, but overall recruitment was a blast. I was surrounded by 15 of my best friends for an entire week. We are about to get 80 of the best freshmen MSC FISH has ever seen. I am so close to meeting my partner and my school. How could life get any better? Tomorrow is our final day recruiting on campus and applications are due by 5 PM. We will finish this chapter strong and celebrate by reading countless applications all night tomorrow. Although I’ve never felt more tired or stressed out, I know that God has placed each of us here for a reason. Together, we are going contribute everything we have to FISH and impact lives. I couldn’t be more blessed by the people that are on staff. We hold banners together. We recruit together. We learn together. We laugh together. We celebrate together. And together, we’re a family. MSC FISH 2012-2013 will be an unforgettable year.

Meet MSC FISH Staff...

Our Offical Recruitment Video!!!