t o G u Yo
S I TH CANO BY ANDREW
To the graduating seniors, we are amidst a time that we have certainly never experienced before. A lot is left to uncertainty, and the anxiety that ran through my body during this time in 2017 would have been turned up to eleven. For some of you, masks are the only thing you have to worry about. Unfortunately, some of you will find more adversities. Do not dread them though, in my experience, the moments when I lost all assurance in myself were the times I rose to the occasion and powered forward. “I know. I am certainly out of my mind.”
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i everyone, my name is Andrew Cano and I am a senior Animal Science major attending Texas A&M University. I am graduating this December with my Bache lor’s Degree and a Meat Science Certifi cate. Although I was quite nervous to start my undergraduate degree, I was ready to make new friends and begin studying something that I was truly passionate about. As a first-generation Aggie, I was unsure how I would navigate College Station. As most Aggies can agree, it is definitely a different kind of college town. Living at Texas A&M has definitely been… hmm… memorable, to say the least. My experience has definitely been rocky, but I figured that I was the only one that had the ability to fix it, and I did so by meat judging. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Meat Judging? Why would anyone want to do that?” My response is:
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I remember at my new student conference, my mom and I were introduced to the idea of judging teams. In good ol’ mom fashion, she believed that I had the talent and determination in order to try out, take a spot, and represent TAMU across the country. Meanwhile, in skeptical teenage son fashion, I rolled my eyes and did not pay it much mind, as judging wasn’t my forté in 4-H. As I started my first semester of college, I quickly realized that she was correct. Not about me being talented, but about needing to make friends and getting involved. However, due to the overwhelming pressure that the first year of college can put on a student, I wasn’t really thinking about organizations or judging teams. I was more concerned with my plummeting grades and the awful roommate situation that I was dealing with behind closed doors. Nonetheless, I was pretty frightened throughout the semester and began to not believe in myself. I lost every semblance of confidence and questioned if I even belonged at TAMU at all. I tried attending the wool judging team’s practices in hopes to make the team; however, I realized that I did not have the necessary time to commit to judging. My first semester is not
