Amanda Lovitt ’24: How Aggies have shaped her Corps experience
Amanda Lovitt ’24 made history as Texas A&M’s first female bass drummer, but self-doubt almost kept her from accomplishing such a feat. After being in the band for two years, the bass drummers were hardly visible and certainly not familiar. Always male and always muscular, Amanda didn’t think she had a real shot at becoming one of them — especially since she had already failed both of her physical tests as a freshman. She didn't want to dedicate so much time and effort into something she didn't think was possible, but a friend convinced her that was a horrible reason to not try, and Amanda eventually agreed.
Amanda practiced day and night and was announced at unit practice as the first female bass drummer. She hopes her journey can inspire those coming behind her.
“Don’t give up before you even get started, because that’s almost what I did,” Amanda said. “I want to show people it doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is how you use the time you have. It wasn’t easy, but it was something I cared about. If you care about something enough, put in the work, put in the hours and nothing is impossible once you do that.”
Journey to the Corps of Cadets
Amanda comes from a musical family — her dad played trumpet in high school and her mom and sister played the clarinet. When Amanda took up band in sixth grade, she wanted to play drums because it was one of the few instruments that wouldn't require controlled breathing. She excelled, and kept the beat all through high school. Once she reached Aggieland, it made perfect sense to join both the band and Corps of Cadets because her parents and other family members had served in the Air Force.
The Corps of Cadets was a complete culture shock. The amount of people and requirements was an adjustment. But she joined knowing her experience would be nothing like anything she’s ever done before. Even now, in year three, the time demands of being in the Corps are strenuous. Waking up early, going to physical training, eating breakfast, going to band practice, attending classes in a uniform, etc. is much more than the typical college student schedule. As Amanda put it, “the people are the best part.”
“But when all your friends have the same struggles and gripes and you enjoy the same things, it’s not so bad,” Amanda added. “It’s simultaneously the worst and best thing. The people make it worth it.”
Lessons learned in Aggieland
Although the people make Texas A&M worthwhile, it was academics that led the Van Alstyne native to Aggieland in the first place. In high school, she wanted to pursue nuclear engineering and Texas A&M was one of the only schools nearby that offered that major. She applied and was accepted, but quickly realized she wanted a different engineering track. She’s currently a material science engineering major with a minor in engineering project management. Balancing academics and the band/Corps is really time-consuming and includes a non-stop schedule from Monday through Friday.
Her Corps experience has made her more comfortable with failure and taught her how to communicate with people.
“I used to be really scared of failure,” Amanda said. “When anything went wrong, I would shut down. But from freshman year to now, I’ve learned how to deal with failure, get up and keep going. I’m not only here learning academics…I’m learning how to interact with people, be friends with them, etc. I’ve changed so much and I think it’ll be helpful somewhere down the line.”
Amanda Lovitt ’24 made history as Texas A&M’s first female bass drummer, but self-doubt almost kept her from accomplishing such a feat. After being in the band for two years, the bass drummers were hardly visible and certainly not familiar. Always male and always muscular, Amanda didn’t think she had a real shot at becoming one of them — especially since she had already failed both of her physical tests as a freshman. She didn't want to dedicate so much time and effort into something she didn't think was possible, but a friend convinced her that was a horrible reason to not try, and Amanda eventually agreed.
Amanda practiced day and night and was announced at unit practice as the first female bass drummer. She hopes her journey can inspire those coming behind her.
“Don’t give up before you even get started, because that’s almost what I did,” Amanda said. “I want to show people it doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is how you use the time you have. It wasn’t easy, but it was something I cared about. If you care about something enough, put in the work, put in the hours and nothing is impossible once you do that.”
Journey to the Corps of Cadets
Amanda comes from a musical family — her dad played trumpet in high school and her mom and sister played the clarinet. When Amanda took up band in sixth grade, she wanted to play drums because it was one of the few instruments that wouldn't require controlled breathing. She excelled, and kept the beat all through high school. Once she reached Aggieland, it made perfect sense to join both the band and Corps of Cadets because her parents and other family members had served in the Air Force.
The Corps of Cadets was a complete culture shock. The amount of people and requirements was an adjustment. But she joined knowing her experience would be nothing like anything she’s ever done before. Even now, in year three, the time demands of being in the Corps are strenuous. Waking up early, going to physical training, eating breakfast, going to band practice, attending classes in a uniform, etc. is much more than the typical college student schedule. As Amanda put it, “the people are the best part.”
“But when all your friends have the same struggles and gripes and you enjoy the same things, it’s not so bad,” Amanda added. “It’s simultaneously the worst and best thing. The people make it worth it.”
Lessons learned in Aggieland
Although the people make Texas A&M worthwhile, it was academics that led the Van Alstyne native to Aggieland in the first place. In high school, she wanted to pursue nuclear engineering and Texas A&M was one of the only schools nearby that offered that major. She applied and was accepted, but quickly realized she wanted a different engineering track. She’s currently a material science engineering major with a minor in engineering project management. Balancing academics and the band/Corps is really time-consuming and includes a non-stop schedule from Monday through Friday.
Her Corps experience has made her more comfortable with failure and taught her how to communicate with people.
“I used to be really scared of failure,” Amanda said. “When anything went wrong, I would shut down. But from freshman year to now, I’ve learned how to deal with failure, get up and keep going. I’m not only here learning academics…I’m learning how to interact with people, be friends with them, etc. I’ve changed so much and I think it’ll be helpful somewhere down the line.”