The Rudder Association
2025 Annual Essay & Selfless Service Award Winners
This essay contest was open to all current students at Texas A&M University.
Essay Award Winners Pictured (L-R), Alyssa Gipson ’27, 3rd Place, James Clark ’25, 2nd Place, and Audrey Delgado ’27, 1st Place.
2025 Rudder Association Annual Essay Contest
The Rudder Association offered current Aggie students the opportunity to compete in its annual essay competition with prize money awards for the top 3 essays chosen at $500 for first, $300 for second, and $200 for third
This year's essay contest prompt -
"Does Texas A&M's current curriculum prepare you for the 21st century economy and effective citizenship? What does it get right and how could it be improved?
Audrey Delgado '27, 1st Place:
Living the Aggie Spirit: Shaping Leaders for the 21st Century
Six core values—Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Service—form the foundation of Texas A&M University and are critical in shaping all Aggies to be prepared for life in the 21st century. The rigorous coursework and the Aggie Honor Code promote technical and ethical skills that create intelligent, efficacious citizens. As an aerospace engineering student, I am challenged daily through my classes, and as a leader in a student organization, I am equipped to communicate effectively in the workforce and society.
The College of Engineering incorporates many opportunities for firsthand experience in addition to traditional lectures. The facilities simulate a working environment and oftentimes require collaboration as a team. In my current AERO 214 class, we are conducting tensile testing on varied materials, which is applicable to industry when researching new materials to drive innovation in air and space travel. Labs like these provide invaluable insight into potential career paths for students. Last semester, for my AERO 212 final project, I learned to collaborate effectively with my peers to outline each step of the thermodynamic cycle of a Pratt & Whitney jet engine given a velocity and altitude. With AERO 212 being one of the more challenging classes in the curriculum, it required extensive teamwork and independent effort to ensure I understood the concepts and made meaningful contributions to the project. Final projects like these provide critical collaborative experiences that companies value in prospective employees.
A&M’s Core Curriculum is also significant because it requires us to think critically about subjects outside our traditional focus areas. This broadens our intellectual understanding of society and highlights the global impact of various career fields. I greatly enjoyed my United States Geography class, where I learned how diverse cultures are affected by different landscapes, even within a single country. That class not only enhanced my knowledge of our nation but also provided me with valuable skills to analyze and understand the origins of societal structures and dynamics.
Programs and organizations offered outside of class play an equally significant role in the Aggie experience. These opportunities help students gain practical skills and values they can use throughout their lives. The Aggie Honor Code, alongside the Aggie Core Values, promotes ethical decision-making, which is integral to the engineering landscape. Upholding my integrity and adhering to my morals in every situation is my highest priority. Although I held these beliefs before attending Texas A&M, my time here has reinforced my commitment to hold myself and others in the highest regard, regardless of the circumstances.
Through my leadership position in Young Americans for Freedom, I have been able to put these values and skills into practice. As the Campus Outreach Director, I have the privilege of promoting conservative values to students, staff, and visitors on campus. The skills I have gained in my coursework and from being an Aggie have equipped me to engage in respectful and meaningful conversations about complex topics. This organization allows me to exercise my collaborative skills, ethical principles, and willingness to serve, fulfilling the true purpose of Texas A&M—fostering students into intelligent, critical-thinking, and honest citizens.
Although Texas A&M is, in my opinion, the best university in the world for many reasons, there is always room for improvement to ensure that the curriculum and resources keep pace with technological and societal advances. One area that needs reform is the Hullabaloo U classes, known as FYEX classes in engineering. These classes are intended to help freshmen learn about the academic resources available to them and introduce them to the university’s history and traditions. However, the information covered in these courses is already communicated through emails, yard signs, and word of mouth throughout a student’s time at Texas A&M. As a result, these no-credit-hour classes offer little educational value or enhancement to the Aggie experience.
Being a part of the Aggie family means more than words can express. However, as generations progress, it seems this meaning is slowly fading. Last semester, I was late to a group project meeting because I had attended the Bonfire Memorial earlier that morning and stayed in bed longer than planned. When I arrived and explained my reason for being late, my peers were unaware of the Bonfire Memorial and barely knew what it represented. Attending this somber event for the first time was a deeply moving experience, and it saddens me that my fellow Aggies were unaware of its significance.
This is why the FYEX classes should be restructured to focus on the history and traditions of Texas A&M. Learning about our university’s rich history and participating in traditions such as Silver Taps and Muster fosters a deeper appreciation for the Aggie experience. Personally, learning about these traditions has made me a better student and person. It inspires me to excel in my classes so that I can contribute meaningfully to society, knowing I have received an unmatched education. The Aggie Core Values of Respect and Service, reinforced by these traditions, have shaped my daily life and made me a better individual for my community and nation.
Texas A&M University’s curriculum provides a strong foundation for preparing students to thrive in the 21st-century economy and contribute as engaged, effective citizens. Through its emphasis on technical excellence, leadership, and integrity, the university equips students like me with the tools to tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing world. However, as industries and society evolve, there is always room to strengthen the curriculum by integrating emerging technologies and focusing on creating well-rounded Aggies through an enhanced understanding of history and tradition. With its commitment to innovation and excellence, I am confident that Texas A&M will continue to prepare Aggies to lead and serve in meaningful ways for generations to come.
James Clark ’25, 2nd Place:
A casual observer of Texas A&M would easily notice the conflict of a constant push for discovery and innovation, against the respect of traditions and values that seem to stand athwart yelling stop. During my attendance at Texas A&M, I have witnessed this conflict maligned in social media, news articles, and even meetings with faculty and administrators. However, this conflict ensures that current students are not only given the resources to be suiciently educated but trained in the character of moral leaders who are grounded in respect, integrity, and loyalty while pursuing excellence for the betterment of others. The unrest on other university campuses this past year, while multifaceted, shows what happens if you abandon this conflict and utilize moral relativism to support your academic pursuits. While these campuses are accredited as having “very high research activity,” their product has become learned fools that have an education but only enough wisdom to convince themselves of their own deconstructionist brilliance at the expense of what Aggies know as other education.
I am a proud member of the Master of Real Estate program at Mays Business School, which is ranked 2nd in the nation by Eduversal. Blending economic theory with technical expertise, our curriculum provides a comprehensive finance-oriented education. The lectures are further enriched by weekly industry expert talks and practical labs that familiarize students with specific software tools like ARGUS Enterprise. Our faculty includes a "Best Lawyer" (US News and World Report) rated attorney teaching commercial law, a former global financial firm CIO leading a course in technology and innovation, and an active developer instructing property analysis. The Texas Real Estate Research Center's direct partnership with our program further supplements this practical knowledge with leading research. Additionally, our Advisory Board ensures our curriculum evolves in tandem with industry demands, keeping it relevant and forward-looking. This high-impact program (identified by an above 95% job placement rate) prepares students to elevate Texas' place in commercial real estate and structured finance, aligning with Sam Houston's vision of Texas standing among nations.
What I didn’t expect on the outside looking in was the comprehensive non-academic requirements that are integrated into the curriculum. Each semester, the program requires students to complete service to the community (such as participating with BUILD or the Big Event) and service internally to the program's administration. These requirements serve a dual purpose: providing hands-on experience in selfless service and instilling a sense of ownership over both the program and community. This philosophy echoes James Madison's sentiment in Federalist 57 because service should not be merely an act of public piety accomplished when convenient, but a civic duty to "pursue the common good of the society" and protect against the abuse of public trust. Rather than behaving as passive consumers, almost unique to Texas A&M, students actively engage in the program. Their help allows limited resources to go toward enrichment activities instead of administrative overhead. Aggies are cultivated to be proactive problem-solvers, focusing on addressing challenges rather than merely demanding that others meet their needs. A positive byproduct of this education is the organic development of teamwork, as students end up coordinating their service activities among themselves. While other campuses foster individualism with phrases like "my truth," Aggies learn the power of collective eort in improving the world.
There is still room for improvement, which can be informed by Texas A&M’s past. In 1956 General Rudder spoke at Aggie Muster. He described the spirit of the 700 Texans who defeated the Mexican Army and won Texas’ freedom, as well as the spirit of Aggieland: being true to each other as Aggies can be. However, the focus of the speech was the crisis of leadership in elected government. He said, “Service to our country must be a part of [Aggies’] everyday lives”. Unfortunately, I feel that we have more that we can do on this front. The conflict between innovation and traditions was well known to General Rudder. He was largely the reason Texas A&M went from an all-men’s military college in a small rural town to a large global institution, who patiently awaits its next national conference title. General Rudder chose to call upon the Aggies gathered at Muster to serve in elected positions to promote honesty and integrity in government. How and where to serve your community in local, state, and federal positions is something we should spend more time teaching Aggies. After all, we spend all this time building competent and moral leaders, only to be governed by people who went to the other universities. Consequently, we end up with the government we can tolerate over the one we deserve.
Aggies know the contributions of General Rudder and Lawrence “Sul” Ross, but before Texas A&M’s founding, Captain Alden Partridge took his experience as a professor and acting Superintendent of West Point to start the first senior military college and what became the ROTC program in 1819. His idea that the nation should train a large ‘citizen soldiery,’ along with the Morrill Act led to Texas A&M. Captain Partridge saw the need for competent technical education with values of service that at the time was only available at the federal service academies. Texas A&M continues to fill that need competitively; however, we yield the field on citizenship. It’s currently more common to find an Aggie astronaut or Fortune 500 CEO than a major Aggie politician. If Texas A&M does not teach students to serve in government to defend our values, we will watch those with selfish motives dismantle the things that make our country, state, and school so great.
Alyssa Gipson ’27, 3rd Place:
Beyond the Classroom: Expanding the Kinesiology Curriculum for Future Career Success
The 21st-century economy demands adaptability, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary knowledge. As a kinesiology major at Texas A&M University, following the motor behavior path from the 2023-2024 degree plan, the curriculum is well-structured to equip students with skills relevant to the modern workforce and responsible citizenship. The program offers a solid base in understanding how people move, research techniques, and hands-on stuff in health and wellness. Still, there are some ways it could step up its game to make students even more ready for their careers and involved in the community. Texas A&M’s kinesiology motor behavior program shines because it combines theory with practical experience. The courses dive into fun topics like motor control and learning, biomechanics, therapeutic principles, and exercise physiology. These are crucial courses if a student wants to jump into physical therapy or sports science careers. A kinesiology student will get to dive right in with practical experience and learn through research, which expands their critical thinking and helps them use what they learn in real life. The program also highlights data analysis, which is becoming a big deal in today’s job market. Students learn to understand movement paMerns using motion capture tech, work with statistical soNware for research, and apply evidence-based strategies to boost motor performance. This sets an individual up nicely for healthcare, research, or sports performance careers. These competencies align well with the demands of the 21st-century job market, where data-driven decision-making and interdisciplinary collaboration are crucial.
Texas A&M aims to promote leadership and community involvement through its required courses. Classes in ethics, communication, and social sciences give kinesiology students a beMer grip on social issues so they can be more informed citizens. The university also pushes students to join in on service-learning projects, internships, and research, helping them take on more professional and civic responsibilities. I participated and worked in a research study with the kinesiology department sponsored by DARPA. It was a truly unique learning experience as I learned research techniques and expanded my choices on career paths.
While the kinesiology motor behavior curriculum provides a strong foundation, there are areas where it could be improved to prepare students for the evolving workforce. One limitation is the need for greater integration of business and entrepreneurship concepts. Many graduates pursue careers in private practice, sports performance, or wellness coaching, yet there are limited opportunities to develop business management, marketing, and entrepreneurship skills within the major. With the hope of becoming a physical therapist, I plan to own my own practice eventually, but I have no business background or knowledge. Adding electives or certificate programs focused on business strategies for healthcare and fitness professionals would help students navigate the competitive job market more effectively.
Another area for improvement is incorporating more interdisciplinary coursework that connects kinesiology with fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, and wearable technology. With the rise of virtual reality rehab and AI coaching, future professionals will have a more substantial background in technology. Offering elective courses or organizations that involve these topics will help students stay up-to-date with industry innovations.
Texas A&M does a great job of focusing on hands-on learning, but having more internships and real-world experiences would be an excellent learning experience for the preparation of transitioning into the work world. Students could get valuable practice with the latest techniques before graduation by teaming up with hospitals, rehab centers, and tech focused sports performance companies.
The kinesiology motor behavior curriculum at Texas A&M University is like a well-tuned athlete preparing for a championship. Just as an athlete needs a balanced training regimen that includes strength, speed, and strategy, students in this program benefit from a strong foundation in scientific knowledge, research training, and leadership development. Just as athletes can up their game with things like nutrition or sports psychology, students would gain a lot from adding business education and real-world experiences. This way, they're prepared to compete and can shine in their future careers.
Michael R. Beggs '68 Selfless Service Award
Submission essays were evaluated anonymously on their logical development of ideas, persuasiveness, true representation of the subject’s service to the community and utilization of facts and background information.
To be eligible for the Michael R Beggs '68 Selfless Service award, an Aggie student must:
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Have displayed a high degree of the core value of Selfless Service.
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Have no academic, honor, or conduct violations.
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Have performed service to improve the quality of life and promote the welfare of others (i.e., humanitarian/charitable causes) during the nominee’s enrollment at Texas A&M University. Service is to be considered based on the nominee’s efforts—not the overall effort of the organization associated with the service.
The 2025 Michael R. Beggs '68 Selfless Service Award Recipient:
Caroline Shankle '25
Caroline was nominated by TRA member Sammy Travis ’23. She is a San Antonio, Texas native and is currently a senior Animal Science student. Throughout her time at Texas A&M, Caroline has not sat idle.
She currently is heavily involved within the Animal Science department along with Traditions Council, where she sits on the Silver Taps committee. On the topic of the beloved Silver Taps tradition, Caroline recently started a tradition of her own. She, along with a few other students, has begun creating floral arrangements to offer to the families of Silver Taps honorees. These flowers symbolize the love, memory and unwavering support of the Aggie Family towards the families of departed Aggie brothers and sisters. In her personal life, Caroline enjoys writing and building relationships across campus. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Caroline is preparing for the final edits of her first and upcoming Christian devotional set to be published this August.
Through her life experiences, she hopes to bring people closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am extremely glad to know her and to see her live out our Aggie Core Values.
Pictured (L-R): Sammy Travis '23, 2024 Recipient Valerie Muñoz '24, Caroline Shankle '25, TRA Chairman David Dean '76, Michael Beggs' grandson Sam Beggs, and son Lino Beggs.