Who are we?
Bryce:
In November of 2007, Alan Jackson released what would soon be the #1 country song in the US, “Small Town Southern Man”. I was 9 years old at the time, no clue what life is supposed to go or what it held (still don’t if I am being honest). Even back then as “Small Town Southern Man” crept up the charts and became increasingly popular, I knew I wanted my life to mirror what Alan Jackson wrote in this song. Howdy, I am Bryce Matthew Wyatt and, yes, I like to think of myself as a small town southern (young) man. I was born and raised in the tiny community of Cedar Creek, TX just 30 miles southeast of Austin. The youngest of four children to Michael and Betty Wyatt, I always had a shadow to walk under. For a small community like Cedar Creek, everyone knew everyone, as most stereotypical small towns do.
My siblings meant the world to me, my parents even more. At a young age, we knew that family was above all else. We were, and to this day remain, very close. My best friends are my family. My siblings and I all grew up playing sports, working our land, and perhaps the biggest part was 4-H. Showing livestock was a full-time job, especially when it’s steers and hogs. As much as I loved the hours in the summer heat working with my steers (R.I.P. Moe, Diffey, Tornado, Raider, and Simba), my biggest and first love was baseball. I played ball from the time I was 4 until graduating high school and walking away from the sport I poured my heart and soul into.
Like I mentioned earlier, I am the youngest of four, so this meant watching as my best friends left one by one to the next chapter in their lives. First, my brother, Wesley, went to attend Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. The first of my two sisters, Lauren, headed for Stephenville and Tarleton State just a year later. Finally, Amy, who was my biggest role model and the one I followed around like an excited pup, went to run cross country at the University of Texas at Tyler after the conclusion of my sophomore year of high school. Every time we have gotten together after that, the six of us, as a family, I have greatly cherished.
In the fall of 2015, I was accepted to attend the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and Baylor University. So I did as any sane human would do and chose to come to College Station where I have called home for the past 4 years as a proud first generation Aggie. I will graduate in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance. Where I will go upon graduation, I don’t yet know. Coronavirus has had things all scrambled. What I do know is that as long as I have my drive, the ideals and values of a Texas Aggie, and my family along for the ride, I think everything will end up okay. As Alan Jackson wrote, “Don’t you cry and don’t you worry, I’m blessed and I know I am. Because God has a place for a Small Town Southern Man”.
Kaylee:
Every little thing that happens to you, shapes who you become. The activities you’re involved in growing up, the relationships you have, and major life events where you can look back and say that’s when it all changes. As a 21-year old college student, there haven’t been many of those major life altering moments for me. However, there are some moments in my life I look back on and see how things have changed since then. Most of them involve growing in my faith with God because I truly believe he is working in all of our lives to make us who we are meant to be.
The first moment - giving up the sport I had grown up loving. I started playing softball when I was in the second grade. I split my life between softball and basketball, and eventually softball won out. The day I decided to hang up my cleats was one of the hardest, but most liberating moments of my life (so far). It took a lot of prayer and spiritual guidance, but I can’t help but think how differently my life would’ve been if I kept pursuing softball. I would be at some D3 or D2 school in Texas or some other state. I would have different friends, and I wouldn’t have the dreams I have now.
The second moment - coming to Texas A&M and working for the 12th Man Foundation. I was raised as an Aggie. I was always going to be one, even if I didn’t fully realize it. I could not be more honored than to follow in my parents footsteps and attend this great university. Not only did I come to the same college as my parents, but I am working in the same job that they did. I came in as a “legacy” because of them. That thought terrified me. I had something to live up to, or as one of my bosses/parents' old coworkers put it, I had to make up for my dad. I gained skills and abilities through the 12th Man, but I have also developed some of my closest relationships because of this job.
The third moment - going on a mission trip to Cape Town, South Africa. I went to visit an extension of Antioch Community Church in Cape Town and help bring people into what they were doing there. I saw things and heard testimonies that could only have been experienced on this trip, and I am extremely grateful for it. It was on this trip that I gained confidence in myself and in my relationship with God. I went in not believing that I could go out and talk to these people and get them to come to church with me. It was just too scary; I was filled with fears of rejection and of judgement from others. Now, it may have taken a while, but I was able to grow into someone I am proud of. I conquered new things (including climbing a mountain) and will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life.
Now, I don’t know what lies ahead, but I know it’s going to be filled with adventure and joy.