REP-PP Spring 2017 Blog: Respect
Blogger: Lola Wilson
Law School Year: 2L
Placement: Senate Committee on State Affairs, Texas Legislature, Austin, Texas
When I was accepted to Texas A&M College Station in order to obtain my undergraduate degree, I knew very little about Texas A&M and the Core Values. In the fall of 2011--the second I walked onto main campus--I not only learned about Aggie tradition and Aggie values, I felt them among the students, staff, professors and even visitors to campus. I noticed that students and professors had mutual respect for each other, that students and professors knew and called by name the rest of the university staff. At such a huge university, I was surprised by the friendly respect every person seemed to have for each other. It did not matter the position we held or the age we had reached.
Four years later, I was privileged to join Texas A&M School of Law. I applied and joined the law school because I knew what I would find: respect. The type of mutual respect that propels a student into a career and provides for opportunities along the way. While the law school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, 175 miles away from “Aggieland,” the Core Values and the mutual respect among students, law professors and staff was stronger than ever. I was nervous to begin law school because I heard, as many have, that the professors would be harsh, unforgiving and that I would struggle to succeed. I have to admit that law school is difficult, but the respect for learning and the respect our professors have for their students has truly been inspiring.
It is easy to believe that those who are older and more experienced may not have respect for students or staff, but that is the exact opposite of reality at Texas A&M. There is much more than the mutual respect between professors and students: I often find myself noticing and admiring the friendship and respect that professors and students have for our security guards, maintenance crews, student services assistants, photographers and many, many more.
After six years of experiencing the Aggie Core Values, first-hand, they have been entrenched into my personality. I took the Aggie interpretation of respect to the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs when I began my externship in Austin this January. I noticed immediately, what I already knew: that political parties may not always have respect for each other, especially during a legislative session. Although the atmosphere in Austin, particularly at the state capitol, can seem completely different from the atmosphere at Texas A&M, it has not affected the way that I treat others. No matter who they are: senator, representative, staffer, constituent, attorney, layman; I will never fail to show respect for another person. I learned this infallible value at Texas A&M, and it is something I will never forget.