Originally delivered on 1/7/2026 8:00 am

SUBJECT: Houston Aggie Moms' Club January 2026 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

Howdy, 2026! 

Winter break is coming to an end and your college student is heading back to campus soon. Hope you enjoyed the time together! I know I always get a little sad- the house feels a lot emptier because Bella goes back to CSTAT and my Christmas decor has to come down. 

But there is also an excitement for the new year! As we step into 2026, we’re excited for a fresh start filled with new goals, opportunities and moments to celebrate! I don't make resolutions but I do reflect on my year ahead & here is my feeling:   

🤞 Feels like: It'll be a good year. Here's hoping, at least. 

Thank you for being part of our community! With gratitude for the past and excitement for the future, we’re ready to make this year meaningful, inspiring, and full of growth for us and our Aggie family! 

Thanks and Gig 'Em,
Cyndi Ruiz-Mansfield
Houston Aggie Moms' Club President

president@houstonaggiemoms.org

Pre-Gala Social On January 12th, 5:30 - 8 pm
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Important Meeting Dates!

Save the date for our January General Meeting!  

 

Catch up with your Aggie Mom friends after the holidays! 

Please check your inbox for the Evite to RSVP. 

If you can help our Hospitality VPs with food items for the general meeting. Food sign-up is here:

 Food SignUp

 

Please bring your auction donations, wine, bubbles or spirits valued at $25 or more for the wine pull to the meeting and receive an entry into a drawing.

Bethel Church of Houston: 825 Bering Dr.; 77057 

 

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Save the date for Aggie Moms' Winter Federation Weekend

General & Business Meeting 

Saturday, January 24, 2026

MSC, Gates Ballroom

Doors open at 8:30am

Meeting: 9:00am

 

Please let Cyndi Ruiz-Mansfield know if you would like to represent the Houston Aggie Moms' Club as one of our voting delegates. You can attend in person or via zoom. Register here.

Email Cyndi president@houstonaggiemoms.org to let her know you would like to be a voting delegate.

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Don't Miss Out On Our Night of Maroon & Magic

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Talk to us! WhatsApp Launch

The Houston Aggie Moms' Club's central platform for everything official is Membership Toolkit (MTK). MTK is where you will find our club news, calendar, make payments for most purchases, find members' directory information and much more. You can even download the Membership Toolkit app to have on your phone and subscribe to our calendar so you never miss an event!

 

We also have a private Facebook page where we post reminders and pictures of our events. Just search for "Houston Aggie Moms' Club Members Only Group Page" and ask to be approved. Our Facebook page is setup so that all posts go through our Admins. So, for example, need to get something to your Aggie asap.....if you post on our Facebook page it could be slower to post since it will need approval before it is posted.

 

So, to help with instant chats and communications, we have launched a new WhatsApp group designed exclusively for our club members. This platform allows for real-time messaging, making it easy to share quick updates, changes in schedules, questions about ring day, graduation or posts on last-minute plans. WhatsApp will help foster community with immediate communication and engagement. Find our Community by searching in WhatsApp for the Houston Aggie Moms' Club or click the link below:

Houston Aggie Moms' Club WhatsApp

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TAMU Scholarship Applications Deadline 2/1/2026

TAMU Scholarship Applications Are Open

Deadline 2/1/2026

 

Texas A&M has simplified the application process for scholarships by having only ONE application for students to fill out! Houston Aggie Moms' Scholarships are available through this one application, as well as many other scholarships, including departmental scholarships. 

 

https://uwide.tamu.edu/ is the link for the application. 

 

- The application is open and will close on February 1, 2026

  

Further, Aggie One Stop is an excellent general resource for students: https://aggie.tamu.edu/ . The link for the scholarship application is here, in addition to information on other specific scholarships.

 

Houston A&M Club

The application process is the same as for our club since it goes through the Financial Aid office.

 

If a student applies through Aggie One Stop for all scholarships, they will automatically be in the pool to be considered for the Houston A&M Club.

 

Houston Howdy Club

The Howdy Club is awarding $30,000 in scholarships this year: two (2) at $5,000 and ten (10) at $2,000. 

 

Below is a link to their scholarship page and a link to the scholarship application itself:

 

Website: https://howdyclub.org/scholarships/

Application: https://forms.gle/2fKX5KonCYB7X9ur5

 

Texas A&M Hispanic Network

The Texas A&M Hispanic Network Scholarship application for the 2026 – 2027 school year will be open from May 1 – May 31, 2026. Anyone is welcome to apply.

 

The application and additional information can be found here: https://tamhn.aggienetwork.com/student-scholarships/

 

 

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Nominating Committee and Board Positions
It Is Time to Slate the 2026-2027 Houston Aggie Moms' Board 

 

If you would like more information regarding serving on our board or volunteering for the nominating committee that works on presenting the slate for next year's board, please contact Immediate Past President Margo Wall.

 

The nominating committee consists of: 

Two Current Board Members and One Alternate-Members approved at the January Board meeting and  

Two General Members and One Alternate- Members approved at the January General Meetiing.     

 

Responsibilities:

  • Determine Which Board Members Would Like to Continue (if Eligible), Meet a Few Times, Make Phone Calls/E-mails to Compile 2026-2027 Elected Officer Slate;
  • Announce Slate at least 1 month before elections; and
  • Membership Elects Officers @ April 2026 General Meeting.

Please contact Immediate Past President Margo Wall at Margo.Wall@HoustonAggieMoms.org to share your interest in serving on our nominating committee and/or sharing your interest in a 2026-27 Houston Aggie Moms board or chair position. 

 
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We Need Your Help With Class Baskets!
Want an easy way to support scholarships and show class spirit?
Please make a donation to your class basket! 
 
The class baskets are a highlight of the evening and offer opportunity for fun competitive bidding at our gala auction. Please take a minute to donate to your Aggie’s Class Basket.
Or contact your class chair listed below for more information or
to donate specific items for your class’ theme.
 
Class of 2029- Holly Schipper & Vivian Cashion (hollywomack@gmail.com & jcashion1@comcast.net)
 
Class of 2028- We need your help organizing & collecting items for the basket!  With the donations we receive from your fellow 2029 Moms, you basically get to shop with someone else's money! If interested in helping with this role, please email Cara Reid at classbaskets@houstonaggiemoms.org
 
Class of 2027- Michelle Leppard (tankmanbob@aol.com)
 
Class of 2026 & Victory Lap- Sarah Smith (sarahs1216@gmail.com)
 
Ring of Honor- Tabitha Casey & Kathleen Haley   (tabithacasey@hotmail.comKathleenhaley@gmail.com)
 
Click "more" for a sample photo of a basket at last year's auction and your class' progress so far!
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It's Bingo Time!

BINGO IN THE HEIGHTS AT LODGE 88!

SPSJT Lodge 88 Bingo is the place to be on Thursday nights! Grab your friends, family, and your daubers for a rollicking night out! January 29th! Doors open at 5:30pm and Bingo starts at 7:00pm. Come early because the doors close when they reach capacity!

 

Important Details: 

We will be reserving tables for our group so in order to reserve our tables, we ask that you Venmo Laura Wilson $2.00 to reserve your spot! More info in sign up.

 

Sign up here! 

 

-A package of Bingo cards is $15 each (CASH ONLY) and is required for each player. -Daubers will be available to purchase on-site if you do not have one.

-The Lodge 88 bar is Open (CARDS PREFERRED) 

-Bring your own food and drinks. Rules are as follows: 

  • $4 Corking Fee per Bottle of your Wine and Liquor - 750ml or larger that you bring in 
  • You are NOT allowed to bring in drinks sold at the bar (water, sodas, mixers, beer, hard seltzers, etc.) 
  • Consider bringing food/snacks to share 

QUESTIONS: Call or Text Laura Wilson at 281-384-1637

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Recognition For Aggie Moms and their Seniors

The Mothers of Senior Students Gift Application is now open.  Some of our Aggies graduated in December 2025, and there are more to come in May 2026 and August 2026.  It's an exciting time for our Senior moms. If your Aggie falls into these dates for graduation, please make sure you complete your application to be recognized and receive a special gift from Houston Aggie Moms of our Senior students who will be graduating.

Please visit the Senior Gift Application page on our website to find more information on the Mothers of Senior Students Gifts and a link to the application form in Membership Toolkit.  There are also menu options on the website and in Membership Toolkit to help you navigate to the application.

Application Deadline:  Senior Gift Applications are due by Monday, April 6, 2026.  

Please let me know if you have any questions or issues around the application process.  We want to make sure everyone is able to apply if you have a senior student.

We look forward to celebrating all our moms & seniors at our May General Meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2026!

  

  • You must be an active member with dues paid.
  • Your senior should be graduating in December 2026, May 2026 or Summer 2026.
  • You must attend at least six meetings or club activities from June 2025 – March 2026.
  • Attendance will be verified by our Recording Secretary. 
  • Moms & Senior will be recognized and presented at the May 2026 meeting.

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Volunteer Spotlights!

Debbie Hance has been a member of Houston Aggie Moms since 2013 when her oldest son, Davis, was a freshman. She has since graduated to Ring of Honor and has two Aggies, Davis class of 2017 and Matthew class of 2022. Debbie has served the club in a number of areas including hospitality, wine pull, Parliamentarian, VP of Programs, and most recently, Holiday Luncheon.

 

Outside of HAMS, Debbie enjoys needlepointing, reading, attending Bible Study, Pilates, and volunteering in the community. Debbie and her husband Britt are beyond excited as they await the arrival of their first grandchildren, boy/girl twins, in April.

Thu Hang Dao-Jeanjean has been a member of HAM since 2018 when her son, Nicolas started attending Texas A&M. He received his BS in Civil Engineering in 2022 and is now working as a Design Engineer. Her daughter, Isabelle is a Senior at SMU, majoring in Creative Computing & Film/Media Arts. Her husband, Philippe is also an Aggie ’91 MS & ’93 PhD in Civil Engineering.

 

She enjoys her time with the Houston Aggie Moms helping with events. Last year, she co-chaired the Holiday Luncheon with Debbie Hance and liked it so much she decided to do it again this year!

 

These two wonderful ladies did an amazing job organizing our Holiday Luncheon last month! 

DON'T MISS OUT!
Upcoming Events
Monday, January 12
5:30p Pre-Gala Social
Thursday, January 15
6:30p General Meeting
Friday, January 23
Winter Federation Weekend
Saturday, January 24
Winter Federation Weekend
Sunday, January 25
Winter Federation Weekend
Thursday, January 29
7:00p BINGO IN THE HEIGHTS AT LODGE 88!
Thursday, February 19
6:30p General Meeting
Friday, February 20
Federation Aggie Mom Camp
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