I walked into the Koldus building today and saw a black veil draped over the picture of John Koldus. I was merely walking through the lobby of the building, as my parking pass is for the garage adjacent to Koldus, and I was heading to campus to do some marketing for work. I turned to my regional manager and said "I hope he didn't die, why is that veil there?" We were on the clock, and halfway out the door when I noticed, so we didn't have time to turn around to see why it was there.

After work, I was scrolling through Facebook, trying to get over a migraine, and saw that in fact, Mr. Koldus did in fact pass away. I was overcome with sadness, to the point of tears. Here.

For those of you that know me well, you might know that the Koldus building is my absolute favorite place to be on campus. It was in that building that I found my purpose here, and a reason to stay at Texas A&M.

Yes, you heard me right. I considered transferring quite a few times.

I'm not originally from Texas. I was born in Colorado, and it wasn't until I was 8 that I set foot on Texas soil. I remember asking my parents if I'd have to ride a horse to school, because I'm terrified of horses. I thought everyone in Texas would be a cowboy, with big belt buckles and cowboy boots. Much to my surprise, the only thing that changed between Texas and Colorado is that I no longer needed a humidifier, and the snow and mountains were left behind.

I grew up thinking I'd attend a smaller private Christian college, where I would pursue a career in the medical field, and a minor in music. My dream school was Pepperdine University, located on the coast in Malibu. I was offered an amazing scholarship there my junior year of high school if I were to play in their orchestra.

I was a junior in high school when I first heard of Texas A&M. No joke. Sure, I had seen the logo around, but never had known what it really was. I watched a friend come to A&M, and decided I loved it here too. I was offered no scholarships, so I chose to participate in the Blinn Team program, a 1-2 year program in which I would be co-enrolled between A&M and Blinn Community College, in order to save my family and I some money. I was pursuing a degree in Biomedical Sciences, with hopes to become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon.

My freshman year I didn't really get involved with any organizations, as the Blinn Team program tends to socially isolate students from A&M organizations. I hated my degree, I hated Blinn, and I didn't love A&M like everyone around me seemed to. However, I loved my political science classes. It was the only enjoyable part of my freshman year, other than my roommate. I considered changing my degree to a major in political science.

In the fall of my sophomore year, I was heavily leaning towards the major change, and completing my time as a "BlAggie" as I liked to call myself. A friend of mine was serving as the VP of Programming for SGA, and had asked me to apply to be her executive assistant for the year. After being offered the position, I accepted, making this my first encounter with SGA. The meetings were to be every Tuesday in this 'Koldus' building. I remember asking my friend where that was, and she was shocked I didn't know where to go. Luckily for me, she showed me the place where my life would be changed. Our committee didn't do much through the fall, and I actually applied to other colleges. I still didn't feel like I had a good, strong friends group, and I felt like I would be much happier somewhere else. However, I wouldn't be able to transfer until Fall of 2019, so I decided to make the best of the rest of my sophomore year.

I remember many nights that fall where I would pass through the Koldus building lobby. Nights where we'd run across campus playing Pokemon Go, or after late night study sessions. My most vivid memory of the Koldus building from fall was walking back from Silver Taps with tears flowing down my face, and sitting down in front of the building with a group of freshmen. I remember talking to them about the importance of Silver Taps, and how much it meant to me. The Koldus building became a place where I regularly passed through, whether it was to get to class, or to meet a friend, I visited that building almost every day.

In the spring of 2019, I was accepted into A&M full time, pursuing a major in political science. The programming committee strengthened, bringing me friends like Katie Bishop, Mikyle Christian, and Peyton Liebler. One night in January, we were sitting around the media cubicle and I was telling my committee how upset I was with my decision to come to A&M, and how I wanted to transfer. Peyton recommended I apply for the Disney College Program to get away for a semester, and to of course work for Disney. So I applied, and a few weeks later, I was offered a position in the program.

However, around the same time, I decided to run for Student Senate, as I want to serve on U.S. Senate one day. I was told I didn't have a shot at winning the election, but it was my last ditch effort for making A&M a place I wanted to be.

I had 7 days to let Disney know if I would be making the move to Anaheim in the fall. Senate elections wouldn't be out for another 9 days. I remember getting down on my hands and knees to ask God where He wanted me. Where the best place was for me. Where my story would continue. A friend of mine sat down with me and said, "What will working for Disney do to further you in a Political Science career?"

The next morning I declined the offer from Disney. I was sitting in Lot 58 on the phone with my mom, with rain pouring down in buckets around me. I was paranoid, thinking if I declined the offer from Disney, I wouldn't get into Senate. But I trusted in the advice given to me, and trusted that God's plan was greater than mine.

Sooner than I expected, the election results were to be announced. I had this gut feeling I was not going to win a position, so I decided to stay home and watch a movie in bed, instead of being publicly humiliated that I hadn't gotten into Senate. But then my phone buzzed with a text from a friend of mine, reading:

"I'm so excited to serve on Senate with you this year!"

I had gotten it. I was going to be a senator for Texas A&M. And yes, of course I cried. But I thanked Jesus first.

A month later I found myself walking into my first Senate meeting, shaking with nerves. I'm extremely introverted, and hate meeting new people. I changed my outfit 13 times. But I remember walking into the building, I saw Mr. Koldus' portrait happily smiling at me, and I felt more comfortable.

In the month of April, I can honestly say I was in the Koldus building pretty much every day. Whether it was for the programming committee, senate, or just to pass through, I was there all the time. We hosted our SGA Tailgate there, where I began to meet more and more senators. It was that miserably rainy day that I decided to run for a chair position.

As a first time senator, I thought there would be no way I would win a chair seat, but no one had attempted to run for the position in the first round of elections. So after careful consideration, I decided to go for it. However, the day that I ran for the position, my organizations formal was to take place at the same time. I chose to go to the Senate meeting. It was a good choice too, because weirdly enough, I got the position I went for. I cried then too.

I cannot express enough how thankful I am that God led me to stay put. SGA has truly introduced me to my best friends, and some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. Friends like I have never had in my life before, the kinds of friends that would do absolutely anything for you, no questions asked (see collective list of all the wonderful people I have met through SGA below). These friendships would have never been created without the Koldus building. The experiences and people I have met in the Koldus building are what showed me why God placed me at A&M, and what gave me a reason to love where I am. If it wasn't for the Koldus building, I would have never found the place I call home at A&M, and I am eternally grateful.

Mr. Koldus, I am so thankful for you, and for everything you did for this University. If it weren't for the Koldus building, I'd be in Anaheim, or in Phoenix as a GCU student. However, SGA truly changed my life, and gave me a reason to stay. I would have hoped to tell you my story in person someday, but I hope this will suffice. I am truly grateful for you.

To Mr. Koldus, you will be missed. Here.

Always,

HMS

I am extremely thankful for all of these wonderful people I have met through SGA: Madi Telschow, Peyton Liebler, Katie Bishop, Mikyle Christian, Gregory Cross, Emily Sanchez, Mariana Montes, Regan McGuill, Brock Murphy, Evan Berger, Zach McCue, Conner Neumann, Garrison Kleman, Natalie Parks and so many others. Thank you for being such amazing friends!