CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — At Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, each semester brings a new wave of students eager to begin their college journey on the Island. 有些人有明确的计划。 Others, like J.R. Valentine ’25, discover that the path they thought they’d follow takes an unexpected yet welcome turn.  

瓦伦丁来自俄亥俄州，是德州农工大学系统录取项目（PSA）的一员。 这种替代途径要求学生在转学到大学城之前在德克萨斯州A&M大学系统的另一个校区完成一年的学习。 Valentine’s plans changed when he received a packet in the mail from TAMU-CC and caught a glimpse of the university’s palm-tree-lined walkways and unique Gulf Coast charm. 一次拜访之后，他就被迷住了。

瓦伦丁和他的母亲在岛民大使的带领下参观了岛大学，为岛民推出新的学生介绍。 These student leaders serve as the welcoming faces of TAMU-CC, offering prospective students and their families an authentic glimpse into the university’s vibrant community. During their visit, Valentine and his mother also made a stop at the beach — an experience that was rare for someone accustomed to Ohio’s chilly weather, and one that changed everything.

“My mom called it,” Valentine said. “She said, ‘I don’t think you’re going to College Station. I think you’re coming here.’ And she was right.”

Valentine fully embraced Islander life, from cheering on Islanders Basketball during March Madness, to playing recreational lacrosse, to performing with the university’s pep band, both on campus and on the road. 受到第一次校园之旅中遇到的学生的启发，他自己也成为了岛民大使。

One of Valentine’s favorite memories was traveling with the pep band to Dayton, Ohio, when Islanders Men’s Basketball earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The trip gave Valentine’s Ohio-based family the opportunity to see him perform.

“This university has given me experiences I wouldn’t have had elsewhere,” said Valentine, an accounting major. “At TAMU-CC, I feel like I’m part of something special.”

Houston native Taylor Garcia ’27 also found her permanent academic home at TAMU-CC after entering the PSA program. 最初，她被科珀斯克里斯蒂的美丽所吸引，在第一次参观后就爱上了这个岛的校园。

“I’d heard about how beautiful Corpus Christi was, but seeing it in person was breathtaking,” said Garcia, a mechanical engineering major.

Smaller class sizes, personalized attention from faculty, and distinctive opportunities made Garcia’s decision to stay an easy one. Now in her second year, she’s become an active and engaged member of the campus community. As a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, she is on the fuel team of a student-led rocket-building project — an opportunity she says would have been unlikely for a second-year student elsewhere. 除了学术之外，加西亚还担任岛民天主教学生组织的社区外展主席。 在空闲时间，她喜欢手工、钩针编织、玩飞盘高尔夫、烹饪、听现场音乐和收集贝壳。

“TAMU-CC’s culture embraces student involvement,” Garcia said. “I’ve felt like I’ve been a part of something meaningful since day one.”

For both Valentine and Garcia, TAMU-CC’s strong sense of community has been transformative. 周围的教师谁知道他们的名字，紧密的朋友团体，以及与他们的激情相匹配的机会，这两个学生都找到了不只是一个教育，但在岛上真正的归属感。

“There’s a reason I have a big Islander flag in my room — I love being an Islander,” Valentine said. “The community here is incredible.”