Texas A&M Announces 2024-25 Parents Of The Year

Texas A&M University is excited to announce Jacqueline and Kristopher Knoop as the 2024-25 Parents of the Year. 

The Knoops serve the Aggieland community in different but impactful ways. Jacqueline Knoop ‘95 is a professor at Mays Business School in the accounting department, while Kristopher Knoop ‘95 is a family medicine doctor serving the Bryan-College Station community. 

The Knoops, nominated by their daughter Sydney ‘24, a senior business honors and accounting major, were surprised with the announcement during one of Jacqueline’s classes. When asked what their reaction was, Jacqueline said, “Pure shock; we remember being in school and seeing the Parents of the Year be announced and would never, in our wildest dreams, have imagined being named with the honor.” 

“We’ve always considered our highest honor to be parents to our two daughters, Sydney and Maddie,” Kristopher said, “to know that Sydney felt so strongly about our greater impact that she nominated us brought us to tears.” 

In her nomination, Sydney described her parents as “legendary” in their respective fields. “While I always knew I had amazing parents,” she said, “these past four years have shown me all that my parents mean to the student body of Texas A&M,” Sydney added that her parents inspire her daily to live out the core values of Texas A&M. 

Sydney wrote that her mother’s commitment extends beyond the classroom. She is the first accounting professor many students will have, but she also has dedicated herself to being the first mentor, career adviser, “mom” away from home and supporter to all her students.  

Describing her father, Sydney wrote that Kristopher strives to give back to the Texas A&M medical community. He volunteers with the Texas A&M School of Medicine and has guided and advised students pursuing medicine for many years. Kristopher is also a proud Aggie sports fan who is always ready to bring new fans to experience the Aggie Spirit. 

The Knoops also give back to the Texas A&M community outside their professional roles. The Knoops are involved in OPAS, with Jacqueline serving as the President of OPAS Encore, the fundraising arm of OPAS, and Kristopher serving on the board of directors.

“Seeing how my parents give back to this organization is inspiring,” Sydney said, “They are dedicated to bringing the arts to Texas A&M, bettering and investing in the local community.” 

Current students had more to say about the Knoops: 

“I absolutely adore the Knoop family! They are genuinely so generous and caring to everyone they encounter. As a TA (teaching assistant), I have the privilege of getting to know the Knoops on a personal level, and they create the most welcoming and supportive environment.” — Audrey Knoll, ‘25 

“Jacque and Kris have always opened their home to be a safe haven for many college students. Their willingness to be present and support me has had an extraordinary impact on my life. I only hope to foster the same love, compassion and overwhelming grace that they have for each patient/student they encounter.” — Christine Chacko, ‘25 

When asked what they are most looking forward to during their year as the Texas A&M Parents of the Year, Kristopher said, “We’ve always considered the Texas A&M community our extended family, and during our year, we are most looking forward to increasing this extended family by meeting as many students and families as possible.” 

The Aggie Parent and Family Ambassadors (APFA) extends its gratitude to Melissa Wilkinson, the 2023-2024 Parent of the Year, for her service to the university this past year. 

Every year, Texas A&M students can nominate their parents and family members to represent the university as Parent(s) of the Year. Members of APFA, a recognized student organization within Student Life — New Student and Family Programs, select the winners based on their character and embodiment of the Texas A&M Core Values.