COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Caitlin McGill, a senior at Texas A&M University, has been through a lot to get to this point in her life.
She left the university her freshman year, unsure if she'd come back, changed her major three times and was three hours short of getting her Aggie Ring last semester.
But now, she is a senior, and she is finally getting her ring on the one most anticipated moments for Aggies, Aggie Ring Day.
"I definitely feel like I put in like 150 hours if we're being honest like I deserved this ring a long time ago," Caitlin said.
McGill was among the 4,367 students that picked up their rings at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center.
The ring represents their achievement of earning at least 90 credit hours with 45 hours earned at the university.
Vice President of the Association of Former Students Scot Walker says it's a decades long tradition.
“It is also the most visible symbol of the worldwide Aggie network. It’s the thing that we all wear that we learn to spot at 100 yards," Walker said.
Students like Emily Stolz, a senior, has seen other members in her family receive their rings, making the occasion a family tradition.
But she's never understood why it was so special until she got hers.
"I’m actually the ninth person in my family to get an Aggie ring, so it’s been really sweet cause I’ve gotten to experience it growing up: all of my family members getting their Aggie ring and being so proud of it," Stolz said.
Walker says all Aggie Rings have the same design, dating back to the 1930s.
It includes symbols like a cannon, saber and rifle, a large star, crossed flags and a shield that represents the state, country and university.
The only difference between the rings is the size, finish and the student's engraved name and class year.
"It’s a really big deal to get it. A lot of families they’ve had parents, grandparents, great-grandparents who have gotten the ring, so it’s a really big deal," Walker said.
But the most important difference for McGill is that it has her name on it, and she and Stolz are never taking the ring off.
That's reason enough for her family to celebrate.
"I’m a first generation, and I’m also a first Aggie, so hopefully my brother will follow my footsteps and come here if he wants to," McGill said. "But getting a scholarship to this school to be able to come here was a big opportunity for me, and I’m just so grateful that I was able to push through and finish strong."
If you missed the ring days, you can visit the Association of Former Students office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday.