A LAS TI N G LEGA C Y
ON A CAMPUS STEEPED IN TRADITIONS, IT’S ONLY FITTING THAT OPAS CREATED ITS OWN WITH THE FIGHTIN’ TEXAS AGGIE STUDENT COMMITTEE.
SINCE THE FOUNDING OF OPAS IN 1973, ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS WERE ADAMANT THAT STUDENTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN OPAS.
This year’s student executive team includes four legacy members. Here MADISON HUGHES, ARICKA ANDERSON, SHELBY SARRADET and NATHAN SEAGO share their connections to OPAS.
Some 45 years later, the “town and gown” vision of pairing the university with the non-academic population of our community shines brighter than ever before. A huge part of that success lies with the more than 100 members of the student committee some of whom are children, grandchildren and siblings of former OPAS students and board members from seasons past. These students are known as legacy members.
OPAS Executive Director ANNE BLACK explains, “The concept of A&M students with deep OPAS roots joining our student committee illustrates the sense of purpose and belonging our students feel to this university, this organization and to each other. We now have students serving OPAS whose parents met as OPAS students. I also think it’s a terrific example of the arts bringing people together. And it’s a tradition this university can be extremely proud of.”
MADISON HUGHES Classification: Senior Major: Education: 4th – 8th Grade English/Language Arts and History; Minor in History Hometown: Katy, TX Legacy Connection: My mom, Kelly McCabe Hughes, was in OPAS from 1984 to 1988. She was a general committee member her first year in OPAS, and she worked under the Public Relations and Marketing subcommittee. The next year, 1985-86, she was the Director of Marketing. The next two years, 1986-87 and 1987-88, my mom was the Vice Chairman of the student committee. She had nothing but great things to say about her time in OPAS. First OPAS Memory: I always say that I am always astounded that my mom got an actual degree from Texas A&M because for the longest time, I thought she majored in OPAS! My first memory of OPAS, as she told me recently, was that I was nine and found her scrapbook of her time in OPAS. A more recent ‘first memory of OPAS’ is when we were in the process of moving from Oklahoma to Texas in 2013, we found her old Playbills from her OPAS NYC trip. It was so cool to me that she had saved them all these years. I was floored at some of the performances she had seen – Les Misérables Original Cast, the 1987 revival of Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, and many others. Favorite Thing about Being a Member of the Student Committee: Ever since I can remember, I have had a love of theatre and the arts and a strong desire to serve the patrons who enjoy theatre like I do.
WHEN I CAME TO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, I WANTED TO BE A PART OF OPAS BECAUSE IT WAS A STUDENT ORGANIZATION THAT HAD A UNIQUE AND SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY. I can’t name one favorite thing about being a member of the Student Committee! I enjoy my position as Director of Operations the most when I am a part of the “behind-the-scenes and inner-workings” of what it takes to put on a show from start to finish (long-range planning, finance, ticketing, production, backstage hospitality, etc.).
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity as a student at Texas A&M to see and work some of the very same productions that have recently toured major cities. Whenever people ask what my shirt says or what I was doing the previous night (“a very late night at OPAS”), I passionately tell them what our organization does. I tell them how my operations team is the one to take care of the cast and crews of major productions. Reflecting on my time at Texas A&M thus far, OPAS is the spot that shines brightest. Although it requires long hours and sometimes hard work, it is my favorite environment that I love to immerse myself in. It does not even feel like “work”. I have had some amazing experiences and they are all because of OPAS. I am truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing organization. I am inspired by the OPAS board members and the most hardworking A&M staff that run the organization, allowing me to work alongside them. The student committee has the best members, who serve with enthusiasm and zeal; it all makes me incredibly proud to be part of this amazing community called OPAS.
ARICKA ANDERSON Classification: Senior Major: Marketing Hometown: Magnolia, TX
Legacy Connection: My sister, Elizabeth Anderson, joined MSC OPAS when she was a junior at Texas A&M University. She inspired me to join the student committee my freshman year, and we experienced Season 42 together! First OPAS Memory: My first OPAS memory was when I was a prospective Texas A&M student in high school. My sister, Elizabeth, knew that I am passionate about ballet and invited me to attend the Moscow Festival Ballet’s performance of Romeo & Juliet. That night I saw her, as well as an army of OPASites (OPAS members), in action helping patrons like myself navigate the auditorium and make it to their seats for an all-around amazing experience. By the end of the ballet, I knew that I wanted to join OPAS! Favorite Thing about Being a Member of the Student Committee: My favorite thing about being a member of the student committee is the opportunity for personal and professional growth and development
OVER MY FOUR SEASONS IN OPAS, I HAVE WITNESSED COUNTLESS WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES THAT CONTINUE TO ENLIGHTEN, ENTERTAIN, AND INSPIRE MY EXPERIENCE AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY. I have also learned a significant amount about leadership, moving from being a general committee member to an Operations manager to Director of Fundraising to my current position - Student Committee Chair. I have even been able to connect with and learn from our greater community through my involvement on different committees in our Board of Directors. I love that I have been in the shoes of what OPASites at all levels experience and get to work with exceptionally talented students and staff professionals to make a meaningful, positive impact on the organization that has given me so much!
SHELBY SARRADET Classification: Senior Major: Biomedical Sciences Hometown: Austin, Texas
Legacy Connection: My older brother and sister-in-law were in OPAS during their time at Texas A&M. My brother, Kyle, was an Event Relations manager his sophomore year and the Director of Committee Relations his junior year. As a freshman coming to a huge university, it was easy to see that he had made a connection with the people in OPAS, and I hoped I would too. First OPAS Memory: My first memory of OPAS was going to a Howdy Week social where we ate cookies and got a chance to speak with current members of the student committee about what they did.
FROM THAT FIRST SOCIAL IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT MEMBERS OF OPAS WERE WELCOMING AND FRIENDLY, AND I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. Favorite Thing about Being a Member of the Student Committee: My favorite thing about being a member of the student committee is the opportunity it has provided me to grow as a leader. As a manager,
you work with other OPASites who also want to further their involvement in the organization and improve their leadership skills. The executives are given the opportunity to work with and direct their peers, improving their own leadership skills while facilitating growth of their managers and general committee members as well.
NATHAN SEAGO Classification: Senior Major: Geology Hometown: Bryan, TX
Legacy Connection: My great-grandfather, Col. Walter H. Parsons Jr, was asked by Wayne Stark to be the first president of OPAS from 1973-1974. I did not know about his involvement until I joined my sophomore year, but it is something special to be a member of the organization that he helped to establish at Texas A&M. First OPAS Memory: Growing up my grandparents took my siblings and me to see the Irish clogging group Riverdance as well as the entertaining Blue Man Group. I remember the students being there to welcome us to Rudder Auditorium.
MY FIRST OPAS MEMORY AS A STUDENT IS THE NEW MEMBER SOCIAL WE HAD IN SPENCE PARK WHERE I KNEW I HAD FOUND A WORTHWHILE ORGANIZATION. Favorite Thing about Being a Member of the Student Committee: Getting to be involved with a group of students that care about each other, about Texas A&M University, and have a passion for the arts. OPAS truly carries out its mission to enlighten, entertain and inspire. This year I also love seeing the positive difference that OPAS is starting to have in the newer members’ lives like it has for mine.
Please consider supporting the Fightin’ Texas Aggie OPAS Student Committee!
We know you understand your gift of time, talent and treasure! Please help us continue the legacy with a gift to the OPAS Permanent Endowment. give.am/SupportMSCOPAS
MSCOPAS.org