Meet Will Nereson! He is the director of A&M’s biggest event, Big Event! (Surprising, right?). Big Event is a large volunteering movement in the College Station and Bryan area to say “thank you” to the community. Thousands of Aggies come together to form groups and give back to the community, and Will is a huge part of this movement.
HC: Where are you from?
Boerne, Texas
HC: What are you studying?
Industrial Distribution
HC: What do you want to do after you graduate?
Engineering Graduate School, Technology Consulting
HC: Why did you choose TAMU?
I choose Texas A&M because of the core values of leadership and selfless service. It is a place unlike any other place, and the people and experiences have made me into the person I am today. The character I have developed through A&M will impact the rest of my life.
HC: What’s a fun fact that others might not know about you?
I have an identical twin brother, and I have traveled to 25 countries.
Which celebrity would you choose be your #WCW (woman crush Wednesday) and why?
Emma Watson because she is extremely smart, writes poetry and, of course, is in all the Harry Potter movies.
HC: What made you interested in Big Event? How long have you been involved?
I have now been involved with Big Event for four years, from freshmen year to senior year. Actually, what attracted me to Texas A&M was The Big Event. I remember seeing pictures coming into my freshmen year and thinking, ‘I want to be a part of that.’ It was something that was going to be impactful, life changing and affect many lives across the community, nation and world.
HC: What are three things you enjoy doing?
1. I love to travel
2. I enjoy singing and playing guitar
3. I love to participate in service activities
HC: What’s your favorite part of being director and participating in Big Event?
My favorite part has been seeing the development of people and teaching the executive staff. One of my favorite things to do is to teach other people and make complex situations more clear. I have also very much enjoyed leading a team towards a goal and accomplishing a vision together as a team.
HC: Do you have any favorite memories from Big Event?
March 24, 2013, the day after The Big Event, I received a phone call. Her name was Isis. She was from Egypt and had come to America because of turmoil in Egypt. She had signed up for The Big Event back in February because a good friend had told her about The Big Event. The students showed up to her house the morning of March 23, and she prepared a full Lebanese meal for them. The students worked extremely hard, and the whole time, Isis’ son stood watching. He had never seen people cared so well for his family and himself. The students simple racked leaves, cleaned flower beds and trimmed trees and left with a big “Thank You” and “Gig ‘Em.” It was because of this experience that Isis’s son now wants to serve his people in Egypt one day and impact the lives of the people he knows so well. It is through these experiences and many others that I value The Big Event. I was impacted the day I saw over 120 delegates from 23 different schools from across the nation attend our Big Event Conference to move toward The One Big Day to serve the nation, the day I saw President Obama present The Points of Light Award to The Big Event to that One Day where 17,600 Aggies gave up one day to serve the very people that have helped define our Aggie Stories. After this, one can’t help but be changed forever.
HC: What’s an interesting fact people may not know about Big Event at TAMU?
Big Event has spread to universities in Pakistan, Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia
HC: What is your favorite part of Big Event?
My favorite part about The Big Event is the culture of our organization. The Big Event is a big family that together has accomplished great things around the nation. Each year, we put on a Conference for schools from across the nation to attend. This is an incredible experience because our entire committee gets to see the work other students are doing for Big Events around the nation. Ultimately, we hope to establish one day and one logo across the nation. We hope that all Big Events across the nation will perform their service project on the same day for the largest national service project ever, or what we like to call, The One Big Day.