Before Dr. Rotter started his speech he asked around the room to try and find out where people were from. I found it intriguing that there were so many people in the room, from all over the state, country, and even a few from around the world. But what caught my attention the most is when Dr. Rotter introduced where he was from. He started by explaining that he was from the small town of Poth, TX. Most people had no idea where this was but I was ecstatic because he was from the small town right next to the one that I grew up in. I feel like this similarity between the speaker and I automatically made me connect on a more personal level, and have a deep respect for him as a person. To witness how successful he had become after coming from the small town right next to mine made me want to strive for greatness in everything that I do and make my town known. The fact that he was proud of telling everyone where he came from and how he got to where he is today in his career was inspiring to me. It is one thing to know where you come from but it is another thing to be proud of it.

            At the beginning of Dr. Rotter’s speech he asked us to take a simple quiz, it consisted of 3 questions about what hand we wear the aggie ring on, and if it has always been the same hand. He gave us some simple aggie traditional background information and made us think about if things have always been the same at Texas A&M. The fact of the matter is although our school has tons of traditions; most of them have shaped in new and different ways over the years. They all have the same concepts and meanings but they have changed little by little as time has gone by. Although things change in our lives some things always stay the same, and the things that Dr. Rotter pointed out were A&M’s 6 Core Values. These values are respect, selfless service, excellence, integrity, leadership, and loyalty. I feel as if Dr. Rotter wanted us to understand that our university holds us to much higher standards than most other schools. They expect us to know and understand that as an aggie we are EXPECTED to uphold these values and represent our school with pride and class. Being a part of such a special university is something that I will forever be grateful for, no I am not perfect, but due to these standards I strive to be the best person that I can possibly be. Another special quality about being a part of Texas A&M is the fact that we have the unique opportunity to network with people every single day. We can meet people on campus and later in life possibly go through them to help us find a job or an internship. The people that we meet today are the ones who are going to help us in our future; they are our stepping-stones towards success. As many of my professors have said already “Your NETWORTH is determined by your NETWORK”. I know that personally I have been intimidated to meet people thinking that they are better than me, smarter than me, or of more importance than me since I am just from a small town that no one has ever heard of. But in all honesty my past makes me who I am, it makes me unique, and it makes me stand out! Being from a small town will never hold me back, but instead it will distinguish me from everyone else around me.

   Lastly, Dr. Rotter spoke to us about 3 things that we should think about when trying to be successful. They were:

• Focus on your Focus—then Refocus on your Focus

• My capability—find out what resources are available

• My will—my attitude, desire, and motivation to get things done

 

The last thing he left us with was this thought “What is the most valuable thing in life?” and the answer was TODAY.