Video Captures Special Aggie Ring Moment

Run for the Ring is a 5K race to raise money for an endowment to fund Aggie Ring scholarships, but it also includes a drawing in which participants can win an Aggie Ring scholarship. Winners can present their prize to another qualified Aggie, which is what Linda Suarez did after she won a scholarship at the March 5 event.

All participants who purchase tickets and show up the day of Run for the Ring are entered in a drawing to win one of five scholarships that can be used toward payment for an Aggie Ring. Suarez, a graphic designer at The Association of Former Students, won one of the prizes and opted to give it to a co-worker, Maria Chacon Portillo '18, an urban and regional planning major.  

Suarez surprised Portillo with the gift on Tuesday, which was also Portillo's last day on the job. Coincidentally, Portillo's position at The Association was as an assistant in the Aggie Ring office, where her job included taking Aggie Ring orders. A hidden cell phone captured the moment on video:   

In a parting note to her co-workers later Tuesday, Portillo thanked Suarez for "the best gift ever" and said she would always remember her time working for the Aggie Ring Program: "It was an honor to be involved in what I consider the heart of the Aggie Spirit. 

The Association of Former Students is proud to support Run for the Ring, which is organized by Traditions Council, a recognized student organization under the Student Government Association that seeks to preserve and promote the traditions of Texas A&M. The day of the race is full of Aggie camaraderie and fun, with the yell leaders and Bus 12 on hand and various student organizations performing for the runners.