Class of '69 Ring Scholarship

This story was written by Naomi Hernandez-Pledger '18 and submitted to The Association of Former Students shortly after she was awarded the Class of 1969's Ring scholarship.  

The subtle noises of a Friday morning at Denny’s is a familiar symphony to the cadets of V-1.

Knives squeak on ceramic plates, and quiet conversations are carried on interrupted by loud laughter. Cutlery knocking on coffee mugs produce a familiar ring in the ears of the diners as the cadets trickle in. At 7:30 a.m., the cadets bring a hint of the cool morning air with them as they trickle through the door and sit down around the end of a long table to join the Aggie Class of '69.

Today is a special day. It is Ring Day for many Aggies, and a time filled with anxious excitement as students, family, and friends--Aggies--gather to await their turn for the symbol of their academic efforts and membership as part of the Aggie family.

Today, however, is special for the cadets of Company V-1. Over the course of the past two semesters, the cadets of V-1 forged a connection with the Aggie Class of '69 over plates of hash browns, eggs, sausages, and mugs of coffee at the Denny’s restaurant.

Each Friday a number of cadets would eat breakfast and meet with alumni of the Class of '69. Through collaboration of like-minded alumni and cadets wishing to make an impact on the lives of fellow Aggies, the Class of ‘69 decided to sponsor a Ring Scholarship for a cadet in V-1 to help support veterans and those experiencing financial difficulty. The morning of Ring Day on April 8 was chosen as the award date, and, with media present from KAGS and KBTX, the event was a memorable one for Naomi Hernandez-Pledger, Class of 2018.

The selection process involved submitting a profile of the cadet with his or her biographical history to be reviewed by the former students of the Class of '69. The submissions were stripped of any reference to name or gender so as not to bias the selection committee for or against any particular submission. When a media representative asked Bob Segner '69, one of the many organizers of the event, how they decided to choose Naomi for the scholarship he answered that “many of us are veterans and when we saw this submission we...well, it pulled on our heart-strings to put it in a way.”

Indeed, many of the Class of '69 are not only Aggies, but themselves, like Naomi, are veterans of military service. It was through that lens of past experience that they found common ground across the decades separating the Classes of 2018 and 1969.

Related video: "Around The Association" episode features Naomi and the Class of '69.

Naomi, born in August, 1991, was raised by her grandparents in Bryan, Texas, and graduated from A&M Consolidated High-School in 2009. She enrolled into Texas A&M shortly afterwards with the encouragement of her family, particularly her grandfather, and joined the Corps of Cadets. Unfortunately, she struggled in university life and left after one year. With her eyes set on joining the military she signed a three-year contract with the United States Army to be a 31E Internment/Resettlement Specialist and completed basic training at Fort Sill, OK., before going on to graduate from the Military Police Academy in Fort Leonardwood, MO. She served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and at Fort Leavenworth, KS ending her three year contract with the 256th Military Police Company in 2013.

She was re-admitted to Texas A&M University in the fall of 2015 and re-joined the Corps of Cadets where she is majoring in Political Science as part of the Texas A&M Class of 2018.

When the time came for the award to be presented, the cadets of V-1 and alumni of the Class of ‘69 gathered in front of the fireplace at the side of the room. Bob Segner '69 spoke of the great things that the Class of '69 wanted to accomplish in giving back to the Aggie family from sponsoring Fish Camp to starting a Ring Day Scholarship program, marking today with the first recipient of this new program. Thanks to the collaboration between V-1 and the Class of '69, the realization of one more dream came to fruition.

Naomi thanked the Class of '69 for making this scholarship possible and that she looked forward to receiving her Aggie Ring. When asked what drew Naomi back to Texas A&M she credited her grandfather saying “my grandpa sacrificed so much for me since I was a little girl, [and] like I said he has been my father figure. When I failed at A&M the first time and joined the Army, he still supported me. But he was worried I wouldn’t return to college after joining the military because I wanted to make it a career. So the day I left, I promised him I’d come back to A&M and graduate, and this is another step toward fulfilling that promise to him.”

As a rising junior in the ranks of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, Naomi was recently selected to become the 1st Sergeant of Company V-1. With heartfelt congratulations from fellow cadets and members of the Class of '69 she has moved just a little bit closer to fulfilling that promise.