Eight-year-old Meagan Harrington had the same goal as all younger siblings: to beat her older brother at his own sport. And for her, that was competitive shooting. The first time Harrington ’21 picked up a firearm, it set into motion the series of events that would eventually lead her home to Texas A&M University.
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The generosity of others has allowed Meagan Harrington '21 to hit the mark in the field and in the classroom.
When Harrington’s family moved to a ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas, and her older brother began shooting competitively through their local 4-H club, she was drawn to the sport that would become a central point in her life over the next decade and a half. Upon expressing interest in this new hobby, her mother bought a small, used gun, and her brother introduced her to the world of competitive shooting. After one year of practice, the modern-day Annie Oakley could shoot 100% of the targets at her skeet events. “From that moment, I was instantly hooked,” she said.
Harrington has gone on to be a member of the 2020 and 2021 United States Sporting Clays teams,
where she was named one of the top three female competitors in the nation both years. She has earned a variety of accolades, which include 2019 U.S. Open Lady All-Around Champion, 2019 National Lady All-Around Champion, 2020 North Central Regional Lady Champion and 2020 South Central Regional Lady Champion. Locally, she is a member of the Texas A&M Trap & Skeet Club.
An Aggie Family
Community was the value that originally drew Harrington to Texas A&M. After spending her childhood in 4-H, surrounded by a community, she realized that a family atmosphere was what she wanted in a college experience and swapped other collegiate aspirations for maroon and white. She accepted her offer of admission without having toured the school, relying solely on Aggieland’s reputation as a place of togetherness and tradition. Harrington then began to visit Bryan-College Station from her hometown of Corpus Christi, growing to love the school before classes had even begun. Her Fish Camp experience affirmed that she had made the right decision as she saw familiar values from 4-H reflected in the student body, such as leadership and a desire for betterment.
Attending Texas A&M forced the Aggie to expand her comfort zone. Today, she loves getting to know her peers and professors, describing the network-building experience as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
