The Battalion: December 11, 2017 by The Battalion

2017 FALL GRADUATION

An estimated 5,062 students will graduate from Texas A&M on Dec. 15 and 16.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Thousands of Aggies will walk the stage this weekend at Reed Arena By Katherine Garcia @katiegarcia2018

ith diplomas from Texas A&M in hand, many undergraduate students have begun to anticipate leaving the college atmosphere and preparing for entry-level positions in their respective careers.

One of the 5,062 students graduating this weekend, communication senior Angela Witzkoske is the first person in her family to obtain a college degree. Witzkoske said her family members are excited to see her walk the stage on Friday. “They’ve been really supportive, really proud, and I think that’s what I’m most proud of — that I’ve made my family proud,” Witzkoske said. “I really hadn’t thought about it like that until now. It’s really awesome. I’m really, really excited.” An estimated 4,810 students from the uni-

versity’s main campus will be graduating this weekend over the course of four ceremonies out of 5,062 students graduating within the university system, at time of press. The first ceremony for graduate and undergraduate students will be held on Friday Dec. 15, at Reed Arena at 9 a.m. for the Department of Engineering. An estimated 1,222 students will be awarded at the largest ceremony of the semester. The Bush School of Government, agriculture and life sciences, geosciences, medicine, nursing, public health and science will hold

its ceremony on Friday at 2 p.m. An estimated 1,209 students will be awarded during this ceremony. The ceremony for architecture, liberal arts and veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday. An estimated 1,185 students will be awarded during this ceremony. The final ceremony will be Saturday Dec. 16, at Reed Arena at 9 a.m. for the College of Education and Human Development and GRADUATION ON PG. 2

A&M professor aims to further VR in classrooms Instructors, students discuss the benefits and implementation of VR By Alexandr Sein @AlexandrSein

C. Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Freshman guard Chennedy Carter leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game.

Chennedy Carter dominating her freshman season Numerous accolates have prepared the guard for collegiate level play By Ryan MacDonald @Ryan_MacDonald2 Despite being a freshman, Chennedy Carter is no stranger to the spotlight. After playing basketball throughout her early life, Carter was the star of her high school basketball team, playing on varsity at Timberview High School in Mansfield, Texas for three years. Her junior year, she averaged 18.0 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and led her team to the regional finals where they suffered their first loss of the season, finishing the season with a 30-1 record. Following, she had offers from across the country, however elected to verbally commit to Texas A&M. During her senior year, Carter led Timberview to the Class 5A state championship game, averaging 20.4 and 4.5 rebounds per game. After producing a strong performance in the first three quarters of the championship, she fouled out in the fourth quarter, and her team narrowly lost the game. Despite the loss, she learned invaluable lessons from the game. “I learned how I need to be more selective of the things I do on the court and to CARTER ON PG. 2

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have been proposed as educational tools for some time, but Darren Hartl, aerospace engineering professor, and Michayal Mathew, a senior in aerospace engineering, have actually been implementing the technology in their departments. Working from the Multifunctional Material and Aerospace Structures Optimization (MAESTRO) Lab, Hartl and Mathew have pioneered VR as a viable tool for inspecting 3-D models imported from programs like Solidworks and Abaqus. According to Mathew, VR allows the user to walk around the object in question and to view it from new perspectives that a regular computer screen or lecture hall whiteboard doesn’t. “It’s hard to visualize the whole object on a whiteboard,” Mathew said. “You just can’t draw 3-D objects.” According to Mathew, that is the most distinct advantage of using VR as a learning tool — it allows an instructor to walk around an object, describing its properties from various angles as needed, as opposed to relying on limited 2-D drawings. Mathew said VR learning could also aid students who have to miss class and learn the material later. “The beauty of this is that whatever the professor has done is being recorded,” Mathew said. “Students will be able to replay that lesson over again like they were in the classroom the first time.” VR has also made an impact outside of A&M classrooms. Earlier this year, students at Granbury High School in Granbury, Texas competed in the F1 in Schools competition, an international STEM competition where teams of students model F1 cars in CAD software. The students used physical and computational testing to streamline their design, but to try to improve it further they looked to A&M for help. Nathan Tichenor, aerospace engineering assistant professor, worked with the students on improving the aerodynamic qualities of their car. “It was used as a way of interacting back to the high school students there in the classroom, providing our aerodynamics background and providing some ideas, some suggestions on how to optimize the design,” Tichenor said.

Alexandr Sein — THE BATTALION

Aerospace engineering senior Michayal Matthew demonstrates the software behind MAESTRO Lab’s VR simulations.

Tichenor said that as he walked around the students’ car in VR, he was able to draw in 3-D space how air would flow around it, showing the students how their design could be improved without ever having to travel to Granbury himself. “They were able to see what I was doing in real time, visually, and we were able to communicate via the audio,” Tichenor said. Tichenor said his experience shows how VR could be used to help instructors talk to their students remotely, and since that time, Mathew and Hartl have further advanced the technology.

In order to expose his students to VR, Hartl offered a VR presentation as an extra-credit option for his students in AERO405, a structural design course for seniors in the department. The students modeled the stresses on different objects in Abaqus, then presented these models in MAESTRO Lab’s VR environment — following their presentations, many of the students said they were impressed with how much more complete their understanding of the model was after walking around it in VR. VR LAB ON PG. 2

FROMTHEFRONT THE

The Battalion | 12.11.17

CARTER CONTINUED

GRADUATION CONTINUED

be cautious out there. My team needed me on the court and I fouled out,” Carter said. “That game was a big help to me and I learned a lot from that which I brought to A&M.” After her high school season, Carter garnered nationwide recognition, highlighted by McDonald’s All-American honors and was named as the No. 6 college recruit by ESPN. Despite all of her new honors, Carter remained firmly committed to Texas A&M and was the highest high school recruit to ever join the Aggies when she signed her national letter of intent in May of 2017. This past summer, Carter played for the U-19 USA women’s basketball team in the U-19 World Cup and led her team to the gold medal game. Carter scored 31 points, a single game scoring record for the U-19 squad; however, her team fell short, losing to Russia by four points. Regardless of the outcome, she enjoyed her tenure playing with the team and hopes to be able to play with them again this summer. “I learned a lot playing with them, it was a great experience. I love the coaches and I love the team, I hope I can do that again,” Carter said. After she fell short in two major championships in a couple month span, it would be easy to get discouraged; however, Carter remains focused on the positive impact those losses have had on her career. “[The losses in the State Championship and World Cup Finals] give me confidence,” Carter said. “Sometimes the game won’t go my way, but I just have to keep playing. Even though I didn’t win the state championship or against Russia, there are better things in store for me. Who knows, maybe I could win an NCAA Championship. I just keep writing my story and playing hard and working on my journey.” After the World Cup, Carter came to A&M and began her pursuit of that next goal of winning an NCAA Championship. Carter started the first game of the season and scored 15 points. Since then, Carter has continually improved and has started in every game. As her production has increased, so have the minutes head coach Gary Blair has had her on the floor. “I love to play freshmen who are ready to play because then I can really look forward to the next years of youth,” Blair said.

Mays Business School. An estimated group of 1,191 students will be awarded during this ceremony. Senior finance major Grant Phillips has a full-time position working for an energy company in Houston. He said although he will be going back home, the change of pace of working in a full-time job is an unknown and exciting chapter of his life. “It’s coming quick,” Phillips said. “It’s surreal because I’ve never done what I’m about to do. With that being said, I’m more excited than nervous, because I know that my responsibilities are going to have to be shown in different ways. I’m up for the task, and I’m just really pumped for what is in store.” Phillips said he will have to adjust to not being surrounded by Aggies, especially in a blend of people at his new job. “I’m not going to have that similarity with everyone,” Phillips said. “Sure, there might be people in the workplace that are Aggies and stuff, we can connect with that obviously, but I’m not surrounded by everyone being a part of the Aggie family.” Jonathan Miller, communication senior, is returning to his previous job back in his hometown of San Antonio. He said he has had trouble deciding what he wants to do in the broad communications field. Miller described the cycle of searching for an entry-level position as frustrating in that employers are looking for students with experience, but without any opportunities given at an entry level, they can’t have the required experience. “A lot of places say you need to have a degree, and so that kind of is annoying, because a degree is what is required, but they don’t look at it in terms of getting you the job,” Miller said. “That’s a catch-22 for us students. We just don’t have the experience.” Miller said he is optimistic about his future as a graduate, but he will miss the friendships he made at A&M. “I can pursue whatever I want to do,” Miller said. “That is pretty cool to me. It’s just like stepping into a world and leaving all these great people and organizations that I have a big part in behind is kind of sad, but when I think about crossing the stage, I do feel excited.”

VR LAB CONTINUED “When you’re trying to understand stress in a body and that kind of thing, it’s very powerful to ac-

C. Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Chennedy Carter leads the national freshman class in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game.

Despite his love for playing freshmen, Blair isn’t just playing Carter, she’s earned the role. Carter leads the Aggie offense in scoring, 18.5 points per game. She is also leading all freshmen nationally in scoring. “Chennedy is the first scoring point guard I’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Blair, who has been the coach since 2003. Despite the high praise from her coach and early success, Carter isn’t satisfied with her performance as she still knows she can take it up a notch. “I need to focus on everything in my game,” Carter said. “I’m not there yet and I still have a lot of work to do. Everything I do needs improvement.” This resilient attitude is what has gotten her to this point, and she attributes it to having three brothers who constantly pushed her and ingrained in her a heightened sense of toughness. “We always played outside,” Carter said. “It would just be us going at each other back-toback. I give them a lot of credit as to how hard I play and how much heart I have out there on

tually stick your head inside of a body and look at the stress flow,” Hartl said. Currently, MAESTRO Lab’s VR room is in the basement of the Harvey R. Bright building and is

the court.” The scariest part for opposing SEC teams is that Carter has progressed throughout the season, showing improvement in every game. “She’s growing not only on the court but off the court as well. She’s maturing and it’s really awesome to see her going to the next level each and every day,” junior forward Anriel Howard said. The A&M squad is currently 8-2 this season and will use their final four nonconference games as tuneups before they open SEC play against the defending national champions South Carolina on New Year’s Eve. Despite having no experience in SEC play, Blair isn’t concerned in the slightest that the level of play will bother Carter. “She’s a junkie, she’s played against all those top SEC players, it won’t phase her,” Blair said. “She’s explosive, she’s a fun player to play with, other players love receiving her passes. Every game you’re going to see something different from her.”

not open to all students in the department. Hartl said his vision for the near future is to implement a second VR lab in Bright, but this time to have it on the sixth floor and accessible to all students.

“I think that kind of intuitive experience needs to be earlier,” Hartl said. “It shouldn’t be seniors in the last week of class.”

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The Battalion | 12.11.17

Find your place in Aggieland With limitless potential, A&M fosters an atmosphere of growth Mariah Colón @mariahcolon18

exas A&M was not my first choice. Neither was college. I received my “I’m going to be an Aggie” letter and shoved it in the back of my closet. The idea of going to a university of “good ol’ boys” isn’t where I thought I would ever fit in. It wasn’t until I took a chance and toured campus that I fell into a family and place that I would call home for the next three years. As a quiet freshman, I attended transfer camp and said a combined total of three words my entire time there. Fast forward to the summer before my last semester, my third camp experience as a T-Camp counselor and I am leading yells in front of an auditorium of 300 new students. Surrounded by some of my best friends, I found my voice and love for this university. As we presented the story of the Bonfire collapse at camp, I looked up into the crowd and saw family members staring back at me. You’ll grow in this place. I waited to apply to The Battalion until the summer of my junior year be-

cause I was unsure that journalism was the path I wanted to take. Fast forward again and I’m wrapping up after being a writer, graphic artist and editor for the paper. I’ve learned to talk to people, to tell their stories and have seen all the good this university has to offer. I’ve witnessed students come together to fight racism, rejoice over our beloved traditions and stand together to remember those we have lost. You’ll grow in this place. To the current students reading this who still have time left take my advice: Make it count. It is very easy to fall into the routine of studying for tests and forget about the experience. This is a scenario where you get out what you put in. Life is unexpected. During your time here you’ll find yourself in awkward scenarios, stressed out with looming deadlines and unsure of what the hell is going on. But you’ll also laugh, love and make some of the best memories with lifelong friends. You’ll grow in this place. Go to Midnight Yell, go to Silver Taps, talk to the person sitting next to you in class and share a pitcher at The Chicken — be an Aggie. Even if you don’t think you’ll fit it, give it a shot. This place is special. These people are special. The Aggie family is caring, en-

during, compassionate and forever. Find your friends, your voice and your purpose. I know I have. So to the friends — now family — that have made my time here worthwhile, thank you. This is a goodbye to Aggieland until next time, but not a goodbye to you all. I’ll catch ya’ on the flippity flip. Mariah Colón is a communication senior and life and arts editor for The Battalion.

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Success lies in the journey, not the destination College is about the little moments and the friendships you make Alexis Will @AlexisMWill

hen it comes to life so far, I have been exceedingly fortunate. My parents allowed me to attend my college of choice with unrivaled support. I’ve created lifelong, supportive and caring friendships. And most importantly, I’m about to graduate from the greatest university in the world. However, when I started college I wasn’t aware of the adventure that was in store for me. I ended my freshman semester at the University of Texas at Arlington (hiss), not knowing where I wanted to finish my college career but knowing it wasn’t at UTA. My motivating and loving mother gave me a small ceramic sign for Christmas. It stated, “Success lies in the journey — not in the destination,” in a cheesy blue font. And even with the cheesy font, it hangs right by bedroom door to remind me that no matter the low or highs in life, the voyage is what is paramount. My college journey is about the times that I spent watching all of the Twilight movies with my roommates, instead of studying. Or staying late at The Battalion office to dance to High School Musical. And all the laughs, smiles, tears and cups of coffee that fill the tiny moments in between. These countless moments would not have been possible without the people and place that propelled me along the way. To begin

my many thanks, I would like to thank Texas A&M. The school that I came for the traditions and I fall in love with more every day. With values such as excellence and selfless service, you have shown me the quality people, in the world and how to remain critical. To all the Aggies in the world, continue to show the outstanding spirit that we adore and protect. To Doug Pils, the person who encouraged me to be the best journalist I can be. My college career won’t be the same without your relentless support to continue learning and improving both The Battalion and myself. Thank you for all that you do for student media, shaping the future of journalism, reminding all of us about communication and planning and how to do both often. To all of my friends, who are my personal hype-men. The experiences wouldn’t be the same without you all. All of you have shaped me as a person — Sam, Claire, Taylor, Angel, Gracie, Cassie, Caylea, Katy, Olivia, Grace, Lawrence and many others along the way. And as we all travel in different directions, our bonds will remain unbroken because your friendships will be lifelong. Also, thank you for not sabotaging my graduation. And finally, thank you to my parents — Kelly and Frank — you have provided me with the world. Reminding me to always follow my dreams no matter how insane or distant they may seem. And as I make my transition into the real world I have no doubt that your guidance will allow me to continue the pursuit to have the full life that you all have intended for me.

As my time ends at Texas A&M, I’m conscious that all my experiences will lead me on my journey to being successful. T’s and G’s. Alexis Will is a telecommunication media studies senior and creative director for The Battalion.

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Take advantage of all opportunities A&M offers so much, even when you aren’t necessarily looking

Katy Baldock @katybaldock7

s I sit here reflecting the past four and a half years at Texas A&M University, I find it nearly impossible to gather all my thoughts and emotions into 500 words. Four and a half years, 137 class hours, 34 wonderful professors, a Bachelor’s degree, a minor, a yearbook, 15 Snapchat Publisher stories, countless photos, an extremely supportive family, an amazing group of friends and memories to last a lifetime. All in 500 words? Let’s see if I can do this. When I first came to A&M as a freshman, I was in no way prepared for what was in store for my time here. I had no intentions of ever becoming Editor-in-Chief of the Aggieland yearbook. I never thought I would travel across Namibia for four weeks to learn about photography. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be helping make one of four collegiate Snapchat Publisher stories in the nation. But that’s the neat thing about A&M — you get so much more than you signed up for. As I reflect on my experiences and changes over the course of my time here, it amazes me how much I have grown in

so many ways. I have learned so many valuable lessons through Texas A&M, my classes and Student Media that will help me throughout my life. My best advice to current and future students is to get out of your comfort zone, take advantage of all the opportunities Texas A&M has to offer and don’t take yourself too seriously. Whether it’s going on that study abroad trip you’ve been looking at, joining an organization that sparks your interest or forming a bond with your favorite professor — I promise you’ll benefit from it in ways you didn’t think possible. There is no way to accurately express my gratitude to this university and all the wonderful people I’ve encountered along the way. I am grateful to A&M for providing me with the amazing opportunities that helped me grow in ways I never would have imagined. I am grateful to my incredible family and parents for their constant love, support and encouragement in everything I do. I appreciate it more than you know. I am grateful to the outstanding professors who helped shape me as a person, student, writer, photographer and designer, and for the lessons they taught me both in the classroom and in the real world. I am grateful I was given the opportu-

nity to contribute to the tradition of the Aggieland yearbook and create a memorable piece of Texas A&M that will last for years to come. I am grateful for Student Media and the skills, experience and friendships I developed while working here. And I am so incredibly grateful that after I walk the stage and move on to new adventures, I get to carry the spirit of Aggieland and all the memories made here with me. While it is extremely bittersweet to leave this school behind, I am comforted knowing that I can always call Aggieland home. Katy Baldock is a agricultural communications and journalism senior and social media editor for The Battalion.

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C. Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Senior defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson was arrested by College Station Police Dec. 10th, for multiple charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

A&M football player arrested Sunday Zaycoven Henderson arrested for assault with deadly weapon By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ Texas A&M senior defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson was arrested by College Station Police early Sunday morning, now faces multiple felony charges after allegedly threatening several people outside an apartment complex with a rifle. According to a statement from CSPD, officers responded to Campus Village Apartments at 2:27 a.m. Sunday morning following a report that two men had been seen pointing a firearm at people outside the apartments and

International couples find a home at A&M By Andrew Little @drewlitt

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 1007 Krenek Tap Road College Station, Texas 77840 For more information call: 979-693-4514

Students at Texas A&M come from all over the world and moving to the U.S. can be a challenge. Bringing along loved ones, though, makes the move a different endeavor. According to a headcount done in Spring 2016 by International Student Services (ISS), there were close to 5,500 international students enrolled at A&M, the majority of whom were graduate students. Many of these students have already obtained multiple degrees, gained work experienc, and started families in their home countries before coming to A&M. For some students, it wasn’t until after beginning their studies at A&M that family came into the picture. This was the case for Mohit Dholi. Khushboo Rathi, Dholi’s wife, had already received two degrees and worked for three years in India before marrying Dholi who, at the

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demeanor. At time of press, Henderson is currently being held in the Brazos Valley County Jail on a $2,000 bond. A Texas A&M spokesperson told the Dallas Morning News that Henderson has been suspended indefinitely. Henderson appeared in all 12 Aggie football games this season, recording 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and 35 total tackles. Saturday evening, Henderson along with the 13 other seniors on the A&M roster were honored at the 2017 Football Banquet held in the Hall of Champions within Kyle Field. Texas A&M will face Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 29 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

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threatening to kill them. Officers followed the suspect vehicle as it left the area, performed a traffic stop and detained Henderson, 23, along with the driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old Terry Lechler Florez Jr. Before being detained, Henderson attempted to conceal the rifle by discarding it in a nearby wooded area, but officers were later able to locate it, according the CSPD statement. Henderson has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and/or a fine up to $10,000. Henderson is also charged with one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony and possession of marijuana less than two ounces, a mis-

Carlos Romero — THE BATTALION

Mohit Dholi and Khushboo Rathi sit with Fan and Ke Wang, along with their daughter Georgia.

time, was in the middle of his Ph.D. in petroleum engineering at A&M. They were introduced by each other’s parents, and Rathi knew from the beginning that marrying Dholi meant moving to the U.S. “He was studying here, he wanted to do that and I wanted to support him,” Rathi said. “So in the back of my mind I knew I would have to come here. I was kind of prepared in that way.” Adjusting to life in the U.S. their first year together was difficult, Rathi and Dholi said, mostly because Dholi was busy with his studies while Rathi was often left without a car at home. Soon after arriving in the U.S., Rathi said she came across Discovery, a program for international women in the Bryan-College Station area. “I started not feeling lonely, because I went there and they were on the same ground as me,” said Rathi, who is now working on her masters in computer science at Sam Houston State University. “They were dependent, they were searching for some friends and we had common classes to take — painting, gardening, piano.” Melinda Hallmark has been the director of Discovery for 33 years, and

the program celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Discovery, which holds activities every Wednesday in the First Baptist Church of College Station, has been an important resource for international women since its founding in 1967, Hallmark said. “Discovery is a safe place for [international women],” Hallmark said. “They can come and make friends with Americans who love them and will treat them well, and they can also come and make friends with women from their country and other countries.” Fan Wang, who came with her husband Ke Wang from Shanghai in 2014 for his Ph.D. in mathematics curriculum and instruction, is also a regular attendee of Discovery. Fan originally followed Ke to the University of Georgia from 2012 to 2013 where he was a visiting scholar. While in Athens, Fan gave birth to their daughter, Georgia, who they named after the state. Fan’s positive experience in Georgia was one reason they jointly decided Ke would come to A&M to pursue another degree. They now hope Ke can find a job to sponsor his visa so they can permanently settle down in the U.S. “I like it here, I like the environment, it’s very simple. In Shanghai, everyone

is incredibly stressed, but here it’s very relaxed. I’m still very busy with family though,” said Fan, who gave birth to their son this past year. For others, life in the U.S. is often not expected to be so long term. Naoto Araki was asked by his company in Tokyo to come study a master’s in petroleum engineering at A&M. His wife Chiyo and daughter Nanaka moved with him, both of whom understand they may only spend two years here before returning to Japan. “I wondered how I could make friends here, and how I could improve my English,” Chiyo said. “And it turned out it was more difficult than I expected.” Chiyo uses her spare time at home to learn English on her own, but said she has struggled to make substantial progress, making it difficult for her to befriend American parents at her daughter’s school. She said the rest of her time is spent running errands, taking care of chores at home and dropping off and picking up Nanaka from school. Despite the difficulties, the couple said they remain positive. Their daughter Nanaka seems to be very comfortable in school and they have been able to make close friends with other couples like Rathi and Dholi.