Leading a School of Fish
by Grace Hoegemeyer ’24 as published in the Fall 2023 AgriLeader
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![A headshot of a young woman smiling while wearing a maroon Fish Camp polo and standing in front of Kyle Field.](https://alec.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nicole-head-pic.jpg)
As a kid, you may have been taught that fish blow bubbles and say “blub blub blub,” but here at Texas A&M University, the Fish Camp counselors teach that the fish actually say “AAAAA…” as loud as they can with their hands in the air. Traditionally held at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, Fish Camp is a three-day, two-night camp where freshmen are immersed in the Aggie culture by learning traditions and building connections with other incoming and current students. For many, Fish Camp is their first real “taste” of the Spirit of Aggieland.
Nicole McCormick, ’23, a senior agricultural communications and journalism major, represented the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2023 serving as the head director for Fish Camp. McCormick credited her major for the variety of leadership and communication skills she used in her position.
“Being able to put the textbook theories into practice through this position was really rewarding,” McCormick said.
“Being able to put the textbook theories into practice through this position was really rewarding,” McCormick said.
As the head director, she said she provided an incomparable experience for freshmen and staff alike. She was welcomed to Texas A&M with open arms as a freshman during her Fish Camp experience and was encouraged to “pass it back” by serving as a counselor for two years and a chair for Session G Blue Camp Arrexi. Through these roles, McCormick found the confidence she needed to take the next step and begin her application for head director. Her passion for the mission of the organization has been a driving force behind her willingness to serve.
At the beginning of every Fish Camp meeting, the staff recited the mission statement, “Fish Camp strives to welcome freshmen into the Aggie family by sharing the traditions and values of Texas A&M and building long-term relationships that embody the Aggie spirit.”
“They’re words that have always meant a lot to me, and it has been an honor to uphold them for the past year,” McCormick said.
McCormick said she approached Fish Camp with a vision that she believed could take the student-led organization to a higher level. Her goal was to create stability and provide transparency. Fish Camp has experienced many challenges, like COVID-19, which moved the entire program to a virtual platform. It has also had to change from four days to three days and find its footing as a University program.
“Fish Camp has always welcomed freshmen — it has just taken some different forms in the past few years, and I worked hard to make sure that we found our footing and set the stage for future years,” she said.
![Four students wearing shirts that "I heart FC" are swaying and laughing together.](https://alec.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nicole-sway-scaled.jpg)
McCormick said she knew that transparency starts at the top of an organization; she worked hard to ensure that all Fish Camp staff knew and understood the organization’s constitution and policies. “Most things we do have a very specific reason behind them, so making sure to always give reasoning behind even the most simple decisions helps people understand where I was coming from,” she said.
As the head director, McCormick said she faced challenges she had to overcome. “I have never been the most confident speaker,” she said. “I could handle a class presentation no problem, but I’ve always been nervous to speak in front of people.”
In the position, McCormick said she was immediately thrown into numerous public speaking roles. She was asked to speak and lead information meetings within the first five days of her accepting the position. She was asked to speak at a Corps of Cadets meeting without the security of a PowerPoint. These opportunities, however, prepared her so well that by the time she was jumping on stage to speak in front of 90 freshmen, she was ready.
She was also challenged to learn how to be an effective leader on a large scale, she said. “It’s one thing to learn about leadership from a textbook and another thing entirely to actually lead,” she said.
“It’s one thing to learn about leadership from a textbook and another thing entirely to actually lead,” she said.
![A group of college students are sitting on the stairs of a wooden stage and huddled together and smiling.](https://alec.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nicole-group-pic-1-scaled.jpg)
There were several things she had to learn to be a strong leader in such a large organization. She had to learn how to best communicate with the masses, how to empower people as individuals and as a collective group, and to take ownership when mistakes are made and move forward. It was a challenge to adapt her leadership style to be effective for so many different people, but it helped her to grow. McCormick is grateful for the opportunity to be challenged in this way.
“Being in charge of more than 1,000 people, you’re bound to mess up at some point, and that was a pretty hard concept to get through my head for a while,” she said.
There are so many highlights that stem from accepting a challenging position. McCormick was able to directly assist Session A chairs in preparing for Fish Camp, which she said was incredibly rewarding for her to get to watch them thrive and be successful. Her priority was to see the freshmen enjoying camp, so watching the freshmen have fun and be involved was a high point of her experience.
“It’s a really special sort of pride, to know that I helped make that experience happen,” she said.
“It’s a really special sort of pride, to know that I helped make that experience happen,” she said.
McCormick and the rest of her director staff lived at the camp for the full three-week period of the sessions, and she said spending time with some of her closest friends was truly memorable for her.
“The golf carts we got to ride around in at Lakeview were a pretty big perk, too,” she joked.
As she reflected on her time as the head director, McCormick shared her gratitude for the amazing opportunities that she has been given. “I have had the opportunity to collaborate with leaders across campus and share ideas and experiences that can make a tangible difference to people,” she said.
Her time at Lakeview and in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has provided her with skills and experiences that she will carry with her beyond graduation.