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CEHD Fish Camp Namesakes Announced

4/3/08

Texas A&M University is a place of big traditions.  A unique tradition for incoming freshmen is Fish Camp, an event where new students can learn about the school, understand what it means to be an Aggie, meet new friends, and start their college career with an explosive bang.  This summer, the incoming class of 2012 will have great opportunities to network with their fellow Aggies and with two unique representatives from the College of Education and Human Development - Dave Louis and Shannon Burnett, camp namesakes for 2008.

"Becoming a Fish Camp namesake is one of the highest honors I have ever received, simply because it comes from the mouths of the students!" says Dr. Dave Louis, director of the Marilyn Kent-Byrne Student Success Center.  "It is a dream come true because I understand the significant impact the Fish Camp counselors have on the lives of the freshmen and to be involved in this development is phenomenal."

Shannon Burnett, assistant lecturer with the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, echoes Louis remarks.

"The Fish Camp Namesake is the highest honor I have ever received professionally," she says. "Its greatest significance for me is that it originates with my students.  I feel so honored that they feel that I have made an impact on Aggieland."

Burnett didn't attend Aggieland as an undergraduate.  She graduated from a high school with a class of 50 students, and as junior she visited Texas A&M only to find the large school daunting.

"What I realize now is that Aggieland isn't some large impersonal university," says Burnett. "It's a community, a network, a family.  The marvel of Fish Camp is that it creates these communities and support systems so the campus doesn't seem so large."

Fish Camp namesakes have responsibilities to the directors, counselors and the freshmen that make up Fish Camp 2008.  They are highly encouraged to take a role in the planning, scheduling, and coordinating of activities that occur during the four-day camp.  As a Fish Camp namesake Louis hopes to leave a lasting impact on the class of 2012.

"I hope I can make them see that Texas A&M provides an environment to launch into whatever career and life they hope to pursue. It is not a perfect place, but it is one of the greatest places to explore oneself and gain the education, knowledge and experience to excel in a chosen field," says Louis. "It is my purpose here at Texas A&M to serve the students and provide for them opportunities and outlets for their growth and development.  Fish Camp is the start of their professional journey and it is intricately intertwined with their social development."

"I hope that all of our incoming freshmen recognize the Aggie community and that they are able to find a place for themselves in their new home," says Burnett. "I am so excited to be a part of that experience!"

by: Tanya Nading

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