Campus Life

The Most Famous Legs In Aggieland

Suel, a freshman kinesiology major, was named the mascot corporal in the Corps of Cadets – the primary caretaker of the “First Lady of Aggieland.”
By Ashley Green, Texas A&M College of Education & Human Development May 5, 2016

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Reveille IX and the “famous legs” of her handler, Mascot Corporal Gavin Suel.

For most Texas A&M students, Parents’ Weekend means visiting with family and getting a couple of free meals. But for newly-selected Mascot Corporal Gavin Suel, that weekend changed his life. On April 8, Suel, a freshman kinesiology major, was named the mascot corporal in the Corps of Cadets – the primary caretaker of the “First Lady of Aggieland” – for the next year.

“I was shocked and trying to process everything that was going on and all of the responsibility that had just transferred onto me. I was so humbled to have been selected. The previous mascot corporals are heroes to me, legends. To be selected, I felt so unqualified and so humbled and honored.”

Miss Rev and Suel
Miss Rev and Suel

“The two words that keep coming to my mind are honor and responsibility. The weight of that is what I feel along with that excitement and emotion,” explained Jamie Suel, Gavin’s mom. “Having spent time with other families just getting a bigger picture of what this really means and what she means to so many people. The fact that we’re going to be a part of that is huge. It’s incredible.”

Reveille will live in Suel’s dorm and he will be responsible for making sure she gets to all of her scheduled events. He admits the first three weeks were not always easy.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs. I didn’t get very much sleep the first week just trying to adjust to everything and getting Reveille used to me and establishing our relationship and trust. It’s been a ton of work and a ton of fun.”

Before he was chosen to be the newest mascot corporal, Suel endured weeks of training and learning everything he possibly could about Reveille, including the legends. For example, the first Reveille had free reign over the Corps housing and dining halls. If she walked into a dorm and chose the bed for the rest of the night, the student was forced to find another spot. Suel says this happens to him more often than not.

Continue reading on Transform Lives.

This article by Ashley Green originally appeared in Transform Lives.

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