A Texas A&M graduate opted to go more daring for her graduation photos making her gain some social media prominence for the time being as her pictures have since gone viral. Instead of the safe and usual graduation photoshoot with, for example, Whataburger, or something “just as Texas”, the graduate decided to pose in her cap and sash with a huge alligator.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fannett, Texas is basically just North America's version of Australia<br><br>(Wildlife Intern, Makenzie Noland @ Gator Country) <a href="https://t.co/mYl6LJdgyH">pic.twitter.com/mYl6LJdgyH</a></p>— Tayler Texas (@Tayler_Texas) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tayler_Texas/status/1026175533946757120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Makenzie Alexis Noland is originally from Abilene. A cow or any other livestock may be more “appropriate” for a Texas A&M graduate, however, in Noland’s case, choosing a gator to pose with makes perfect sense. Noland is a wildlife ecology major who spent her summer interning at Gator Country, an alligator sanctuary located in Beaumont.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This photo captures the joy of graduation and passion of right career choice. <br>Makenzie Noland, 21, has earned a degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University <a href="https://twitter.com/TAMU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TAMU</a> <br>She posed with an alligator in graduation snaps…. <a href="https://t.co/bqMoyF6J23">pic.twitter.com/bqMoyF6J23</a></p>— Simon Gicharu (@DrGicharu) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGicharu/status/1026703685525680128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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She has gained gator friends at the said sanctuary, so it comes naturally that she opted to have them become a part of her graduation photoshoot. She is particularly close to Big Tex, the 13-foot gator seen in her photos.
Related Coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/22024-Florida-11-Foot-Alligator-Found-In-Swimming-Pool-Video
Big Tex is a rescue of the park, which was adopted by the sanctuary in October 2016. The huge gator was a victim of overfeeding that made him a nuisance for local boats. Currently, he is the “largest live-captured nuisance alligator.”’
So special is Noland’s relationship with the gator that she says he responds to her when she calls his name and also reacts to her hand signals whenever she visits him at his pond to feed him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Makenzie Noland is so brave! Her unique grad pics with an alligator went viral, so we decided to see her feed Big Tex for ourselves. <a href="https://twitter.com/KenzieAlexisss?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KenzieAlexisss</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alligator?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#alligator</a> <a href="https://t.co/YRLiMNgX5K">pic.twitter.com/YRLiMNgX5K</a></p>— Lindsey Ragas KTXS (@LindseyRagasTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyRagasTV/status/1026565264186507267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Friends don’t scare each other, and Noland gushes: “I get in the water with that animal every day-he’s one of my best friends there!” Love for the wildlife is also something she picked up at an early age. Noland shares: “I was always picking up snakes, holding animals, talking to kids and educating the public.”
Related Coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/5699-Watch-Florida-Police-Officer-s-Body-Cam-Captures-Him-Wrestling-Alligator
Noland also stresses that alligators are “wonderful creatures” and not all are “’maneaters.”
Source:
Twitter: #MAGA #KeepAmericaGreat! #Texas #A&M #GradPhotoShoot #Alligator #WildLife
I'm amazed the alligator isn't trying to look up her dress. Women were put on this planet to be objectified and exploited.
And she went to college? Simple illiterate natives know better.