Johnny Nonmacher
2018 Graduate of Texas A&M University - Texarkana
When Houston’s Johnny Nonmacher graduated from Klein High School in 2015, like most of his classmates, he went looking for what would come next. He knew it would involve college, but he didn’t have any idea where. It only took a couple of internet searches to find his destination…and his destiny.
Johnny knew about the strong academic offerings at Texas A&M University, so he decided to take a closer look at the regional universities that make up the The Texas A&M University System. His search for A&M System Universities and affordable tuition landed him on the home page of Texas A&M University-Texarkana, a vibrant, growing university with outstanding academics and one of the most affordable universities in Texas. Decision made.
Johnny graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2018 and stepped immediately into a job with Tri State Iron & Metal as a business development specialist. A job he contributes to the fact that he spent the summer of 2017 working as an intern there. “Our Career Development Center was great,” he said. “And the Dean of the College of Business, Engineering, and Technology helped to negotiate it into a paid internship.” He joined Tri-State Iron & Metal in June 2018 following his graduation and was promoted to the position of Marketing Manager by November of the same year. He was promoted again in February 2019, and was named the company’s Sales and Marketing Manager. He is currently pursuing an MBA online while working full time and expects to graduate in the spring of 2021.
If you’ve ever been on a college campus during move-in week you know that there is no shortage of volunteer labor. Helpful upperclassmen brave the August heat to help lug microwaves, mini-refrigerators, and other necessities from cars to dorm rooms. It’s a great way to meet people, and on occasion, sparks fly. Enter Madison Pope.
It was the fall of 2016 and the Texarkana native was moving into her room in Bringle Lake Village residence hall. Johnny was there to help. “I carried her luggage,” Johnny grinned. “And she asked me to the fair.” The rest, as they say, is history. Madison graduated from TAMUT in December 2019 with a degree in mathematics and works as a financial consultant for Five Rings Financial. The two were supposed to be married at a ranch in Palestine, Texas on April 18th, but the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic forced them to delay their plans. Not wanting to wait, the two decided to elope in early April, getting married in front of a couple of friends (socially distanced, of course) on the TAMUT campus where they met. The ceremony took place at sunset on the back steps of University Center, overlooking the campus lake.
“A&M-Texarkana has had a profound impact on my life,” said Nonmacher. “I received a world-class education at an affordable price, had a world of opportunities to grow socially, personally, and professionally, and I met the love of my life there.” It just seemed like the perfect place for us to get married.
