I know that April 16th is a tough day for us all as we remember what happened and the grief and pain we experienced, and the exceptional people that we all lost that day. Something that resonates with me is how close and supportive the community was in the aftermath. I remember being particularly proud of how it seemed like the entire nation realized what a special place Blacksburg and Tech were.
I had an idea and I hope you'll join me, if you'd like.
Post a reply about what made you realize that VT/Blacksburg was special for you. It can be anything.
For me, it was when I was considering transferring to NC State after a tough Rat year. My XO came to my room, sat and talked with me for I don't know how long. His passion for VT and the HT's was so infectious and he helped me recognize what I had accomplished despite my failures that year and how much it all meant to me. The lightbulb really came on that day and I could never fathom being anywhere else after that.
I hope that we can help each other heal a bit more.
Ut Prosim. I'll see you in the comments.
Comments
I grew up in Floyd, not far from Blacksburg, and had family enrolled at Tech on April 16th. I had no understanding of what it meant to be a Hokie until I saw how the community pulled together in the aftermath. I remember vividly the first time I walked into Lane Stadium on Thursday night but the chills I felt the first time I heard echo taps at the memorial vigil are the most vivid memory I have. My allegiance to Virginia Tech was sworn years before that moment, but that was when I fully realized how special this community is. I love you all, Go Hokies!
I grew up on Alum Ridge Rd (used to be called 750) I went to Indian Valley Elementary and Floyd High for a little while. Ended up graduating from Riner. I have since bought the property that I grew up in on Alum Ridge Rd and cannot wait to get back there to live. (Living in SO CAL right now.) I knew the "Burg and the rest of the NRV was home when I left to join the Navy. I traveled around the world several times and there was still nowhere that felt quite the same. The Blue Ridge Mountains just get in your blood. I love the duck pond..i love Lane Stadium...and I love the Baskin Robbins that used to be where the MCDonalds is now....
I grew up one mile from the Montgomery County line on Indian Valley Road. I was one of 16 in my class at IVES.
You go to FCHS? What year?
FCHS Class of 2011, graduate from tech in 2 weeks.
Ah..very nice. I was at FCHS in 97 and 98. Ended up transferring to AHS though. Congrats on the Tech graduation!
For me it's the fact that we were born and raised there. It's the way Blacksburg used to look and feel growing up before it was cool to be Hokie fan. I remember driving into downtown with the old school blue sign Hardees on the right, and the rundown Chinese restaurant on the left hand side of the road. Its the small town feel and the views are amazing. Its fishing on McCoy river, and being down at grand daddy Freddy's farm. I love my town and cant wait to go back.
LOVE going down to Grand Daddy Freddy's!!! Long Shop FTW!!
Doesn't get any better than driving down to ol Long Shop! Love that little old school gas station on the right hand side that's still there today.
Brother was at tech during 4/16 and that was a scary time indeed, rumors were going around school that day and it was just weird and frightening.. I'll never forget it. I knew I'd be a hokie after the GT game in Paul Johnsons first yeae. It was my first game it was a close thrilling win and my first tour around campus and I loved every second of it.
So many friends and family that were students and employees on April 16th, including my mother. I was living in Germany at the time and couldn't get through to find out if anyone was safe for the longest time. I just remember being so frustrated watching international news trying to get details and the numbers going up while my heart got lower with every update. Even when deployed, I never wanted to be home as badly as I did that day.
Love all you guys and HokieNation.
neVer forgeT.
It's hard to put into words.
I grew up in Pulaski County, so I was in Blacksburg fairly often growing up. I went to a few football games, and I was always amazed by the campus and community. Everyone seemed to love the school so much. It's infectious to see, especially for a kid. That same sense of community and love for the school was on full display in the aftermath of April 16th. When it came time for me to apply to colleges a year and a half later it was clear that there was only one choice. I thank my lucky stars every day that I even got in.
From the day I set foot on campus for orientation to the day I graduated, I never doubted for a second that I was where I belonged.
I'm from North Carolina and grew up a tarheel fan (literally all of my family went to unc except me). when I took a trip to visit colleges I fell in love with vt the second we drove onto campus. I knew nothing about the school but I knew I wanted to go there. as I walked around campus with my stepdad I couldn't help but notice almost every student was wearing vt clothing, it sounds stupid but it was my first and simplest experience with the tight community vt has. obviously I ended up at tech and it was the greatest experience ever. I met my best friends and wouldn't change a thing.
April 16, 2007 was my junior year. after that day my family constantly would call and ask if I was going to come home for a break. I told my mom "I am home, I don't need to leave." and they came up to visit instead. Blacksburg holds a special place in my heart as I know it does to all of you too.
I felt the same way. Didn't need to go home. I was at home with my Hokie family.
Great topic, thank you.
My sister went to VT before I did. She always spoke so highly of her experience there that I took notice (I was in high school while she was in college). We visited her occasionally, but most of my experience with campus was moving in or moving out. I loved the look of the place and everyone just seemed friendly and full of school spirit. When my senior year in high school rolled around and was looking at science programs, I talked with my sister a bit. She lived with three biochemistry majors, so she knew all about the program I was looking at. While my high school teachers and guidance counselor were pitching other schools based on recent facilities, my sister told me the one thing that sold me: "At Virginia Tech, you will be given an opportunity to research and discover." VT Biochemistry has a strong tradition of undergrad research and it was, ultimately, transformative for me. I thought I might want to do research, but wasn't sure. Knowing I would be in an environment conducive to research and discovery was all I needed. I latched on to a great professor during freshman year to do some research and nine years later, I had a B.S. and Ph.D. from VT Biochemistry.
I knew the campus was special. I loved watching the Hokies play football (my family has watched every week, without fail, since my sister started school in 1999). I knew I would be given the opportunity and support to succeed. I have never doubted for a moment that I made the right choice.
Live for 32.
Blacksburg has always had a special place in my heart. Since day 1, I have been raised a Hokie and Frank Beamer seems like the second dad I never knew for how long everyone in my immediate family has rooted for the Hokies take on the gridiron every Saturday afternoon in the fall. I was only 12 years old on 4/16, but I will never forget that day. I personally did not know anyone involved in the tragedy, but I definitely know how much Hokie pride came out of the whole situation.
I look forward to calling myself a Hokie in the fall, and cannot wait to see what the future holds. God bless all the victims of this tragedy, and it is another day to be apart of Hokie Nation. Thanks
Great topic. My dad played golf for Virginia Tech in the early 80's, so I was raised a Hokie, going to my first football game in 6th grade. I think it was a Thursday night game against Byron Leftwich and Marshall. I watched every week since then. I remember going to my room to cry after the 2OT loss to Syracuse in 2002 (I handle losses only slightly better now).
Being a Hokie was ingrained in me early on. My older sister was a freshman in AJ in 2007. April 16th was a scary day, and it will always be a somber day to remember those lost from the Hokie family. I remember driving up to Blacksburg with my family to walk through the memorial tent that was set-up on the Drill Field. That was a very emotional experience, and one I'll never forget.
Wanting to do engineering, Tech was the only school I applied to. While there, I never left town if I didn't have to, and I never missed an April 16th Vigil. The sense of community on campus and around town is what really makes it such a special place. It has become a gathering place for my family. We're all scattered across the state now, but we will all meet in Blacksburg at least once a year for football or just a weekend "vacation."
My whole family agrees, even my little sister who's still in high school, that there's no better place than Blacksburg (and not just on a Thursday night).
My parents were both from Chicago before moving to NOVA before I was born, so growing up I didn't really know anything about Tech. I fell in love with the campus when I started visiting colleges and, like others have stated, was struck with how many students wore VT gear. I was never really into college sports when I was younger, but that first home football game blew my mind. To be surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, all wearing the same colors as me, it made me understand the unifying power of sports. It really helped nervous freshman me feel like part of something.
4/16 happened at the tail end of my freshman year. I was supposed to have a Linear Algebra class in Norris that afternoon. I remember walking through the hall of my dorm as it sank in, the place perfectly silent except for the sound of everyone's TV set to the news. I still get chills thinking about how the community came together afterward, how it really did feel like a family.
I owe a lot to Virginia Tech. It gave me my education; it was the location of countless fond memories; it was where I met my wife. I've bounced around the country since graduating, but whenever I see the mountains, I get homesick for Blacksburg and VT.
During my senior year of HS in Marietta, GA, I was unsure of where I wanted to go to school. I had been accepted by GT, Carnegie Mellon and VT, and really had no idea what to do. On a whim in January, my dad and I jumped in the car to visit VT in person. We arrived late Friday night, ate at Backstreets pizza (this is dating me), and woke up the next morning to tour the campus. It was sunny and cold, and as soon as I saw the Drillfield I just knew I was home.
I spent four great years in Blacksburg. I got to be the Sports Editor of the CT, I saw an undefeated football season, and I met the woman I would marry.
Even though I haven't lived there in 12 years, Blacksburg is home and always will be.
I'm not your typical long time Hokie fan. My parents went to VCU, I went to VCU. I've only been to Blacksburg itself 3 times, once for a football game, once for my cousins graduation in the mid 90's and finally as part group of first responders for an after action "class". I've been a fan of the sports teams since the early 90's, when I started watching football. I liked the blue collar nature of the school and team. But that was the extent of my connection to VT. Until one day in April, I don't claim to understand what people on campus went through but I can relate to what those first responders had to deal with, seeing Tech as a community rally and support each other made me feel we actually were a nation of Hokies, Hokienation.
I grew up in rural Southern MD and was intent on staying in state for college. I never liked College Park because it didn't fit my comfort zone coming from a small town. I had never even thought of looking at Tech until a buddy of mine invited me my Junior year of HS to go down and visit his brother for the Texas A&M game during hurricane Isabel. I am not entirely sure to this day what compelled my parents to even let me go, most of the state was without power by the time we got there. I remember being in the car and saying "I love college football, but there is no way in hell anyone is going to this game tomorrow night." As I sat in the north end zone and watched KJ bust one up the middle for TD run in front of a sold out crowd, I knew then and there Blacksburg felt like home and all those people in that stadium were what I wanted to be a part of. Feeling like a part of Hokienation, without ever knowing anything about the school (other than Michael Vick) and being on campus for just one day, for the first time ever, that's when I knew it was special.
Side note: We ran out of gas on the way home because we couldn't find a gas station that had power as we approached the north side of Richmond.
SOMD represent! Which high school?
Leonardtown, what about you?
Good to see St. Mary's County represented here on TKP. I went to Ryken, just up the road.
Sorry to hear it.
Chopticon.
Simply enough:
I was a military brat growing up. I went to visit Virginia Tech and riding up with my parents on South Gate Drive, I felt like I was coming home. I knew it was where I was going to go to school, and I've loved being a Hokie ever since.
They accepted me.
For me it was a Gumby's 20 inch pizza. We ordered that for dinner on our first visit to campus and I knew at first glance I needed more of that in my life.
Seriously, though, I don't know if I can capture it in words. Blacksburg felt like home from day one, and it continues to feel like home now. Everyone seemed cool, almost all my professors were amazing, Rivermill started me down the path of appreciating good beer, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Hunan King, and the sight of Lane Stadium peeking out from behind the rolling hills along 460 will always give me goosebumps.
Blacksburg is special because we are all its prodigal sons and daughters. We may wander far and wide, but it will always welcome us home.
I decided to go to school there after I graduated high school.
I knew I wanted to be an engineer as math and science always intrigued me more than any subjects, I figured it would be smart to play to my strengths. I grew up in Ohio and, as all good Ohioans, an Ohio State fan, but when I visited Columbus it never felt like a college as much as small business in its own corner of the city. As all the letters from various colleges rolled in and I opened and trashed most of them, this one from a university in Virginia caught my eye. Picturesque buildings, top notch engineering, and (after looking them up) Division 1 sports and moving into the ACC no less!
As sort of a learning experience I knew I wanted to use those 4 years of college to get away from home and find someplace different than what I was used to. I had an unofficial 6 hr drive rule and Tech barely fit it. When I got out of the car and saw the Hokie Stone buildings and Blue Ridge mountains in the background (we only have big hills in Ohio) I said outloud "This could work". I don't remember when I took the first tour (fall I think) but I went back in the slow summer to make sure a friend of mine saw it. By the second trip I was sold. I had visions of southern belles in sun dresses and classes full of nerdy engineers. I was home the day I moved into Pritchard. It was strange it felt like I went to school down the street rather than 300 miles away. I can't say something ever clicked, it was like I was meant to be there. I loved that I could get a great engineering degree and still meet normal people (you should see the people at primarily engineering schools, eesh). I founded a fraternity, routinely hung out with the guys from my floor in Pritchard all 4 years, got overworked and underlaid, and eventually met my wife. What more could a guy ask for.
I was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia but was trained in the ways of the Hokie as early as I can remember. Growing up I wanted to be Ben Taylor on the football field or Travis Jackson knocking down threes to win the game. Sadly, due to family issues, I didn't get to live out the dream of having a degree from VT but that didn't stop me from being a Hokie. In my college days I went to Blacksburg almost every weekend staying with friends in dorms or Foxridge just to be around the people. It was like an addicting drug how the whole community just pulls everyone in and let's you feel like you belong. Virginia Tech never taught me in a classroom but Virginia Tech did teach me what a true Hokie is. A Hokie is compassion for all that life throws at you. A Hokie cheers hard, works hard, and love hard. When a Hokie is down we don't stay down, we get up and use our weaknesses to build upon or strengths. A Hokie hates a Wahoo but still respects most of them and even works with them if ever needed. And most importantly a Hokie never forgets. Till the day I die I will always be a Hokie and always remember this day as day of hurt but more importantly the day the world learned just how great and rare it is to be a Hokie!
I transferred to Tech after spending my first two years at a small liberal arts college. While I made some lifelong friends at the first college, sometimes I forget I ever went there. 90% of my wardrobe is maroon and orange and I love Tech and love Blacksburg.
My first night at Tech was the start of the fall semester after 4/16. I took a stroll down from the resident halls to the Drillfield. It felt so amazing to be of this place that felt unlike anywhere I'd ever been before. It was a gorgeous night and Spider-Man was playing on a projector on the Drillfield. As I walked past War Memorial I remember calling my parents and telling them how much I loved it and how it was already making me sad that I only had 2 years to spend there instead of 4.
Now I'm living in Roanoke and making up for that lost time, driving up the mountain to Blacksburg at least once a month (and multiple times during football season). It's fantastic.
Go Hokies.
I was ther watching Spiderman, also! Great memories that first semester
I grew up in North Carolina, but was raised as a Hokie. My paternal grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins etc. all graduated from Tech, and my maternal grandfather taught there as a professor for 20+ years. I knew my whole life that I wanted to go there.
I graduated from high school in 2007, so my class was the first one on campus after the shootings. I was pretty nervous when I arrived that we would be outsiders- we weren't there, so how could we understand? When I tried out and made the Marching Virginians clarinet section, we played an arrangement of Amazing Grace at the dedication of the April 16th Memorial on the Drill Field.
That day I cried with strangers that welcomed me and became my best friends, and I saw the power of what it really meant to be a Hokie.
That arrangement of Amazing Grace absolutely gives me goosebumps.
MV's Amazing Grace, Narrows HS
Meeting about 7 legitimate life long friends (see numerous times a year despite living in different parts of the country) by living on the same floor on the same dorm freshmen year. I count myself lucky but it makes me believe VT is filled with those people.
That's it in a nutshell for me, as well. Lifelong friends and lifelong memories. I whiffed my first try at Tech. While I also was a Navy brat, born on the Naval Academy and all, I just wasn't cut out for military life. I was more interested in keeping my brass and shoes shiny, so as not to be harassed by the upperclassmen, than doing my classwork. I had been in band all through high school and loved playing and marching, but there was no civilian alternative at the time. Flunked out, spent some time in the REAL military, and came back with a renewed appreciation of what college meant (and a confirmation of how unsuited for military life I really was). The folks I subsequently bonded with became the basis for a real friendship of Hokies, spouses, kids...all of whom I will love dearly for my lifetime. Through ball games, vacations, marriages, births and now, deaths, there could be no truer friends, nor any better Hokies.
On that fateful day in April, I was living in Giles, just 23 miles away. I couldn't bring myself to go to town for three months...I was shook to my core. I can only imagine the feelings of those who were there at the time, but ultimately, it was the support network I had gained, and more importantly, maintained throughout the decades, that helped ease the pain of the tragedy. So to one and all, I offer this advice. Cherish your time at Tech, hold close your memories, and develop and maintain the relationships you forged there. If you're anything like me, you will make many friends in life, but perhaps none so near and dear as those you lived and learned with at VT.
Transferred from Auburn after freshman year. My high school best friend was at Tech and invited me up to check it out. He knew I wanted to move back closer to home so he took me to the top of Lane and pointed at the mountains. He said that the last one you can see is West Virginia.
I realized that Tech was so special to me one night while folding laundry. I had washed my shirts from the past two weeks and realized that every single one was VT. One of the first things people learn about me is my love for Virginia Tech and Im not sure that will ever fade.
My dad attended Virginia Tech, so we grew up going to football games and to Blacksburg for visits. In fact, I was too young to remember my first visit, but I do remember my first game in 1990. When it came time to apply for colleges, I applied to only Virginia Tech, and was fortunate enough to be accepted.
What made it special to me was that I could go to the same school that my dad went to and create memories that would last a lifetime, just as he did. Blacksburg is a truly special place and it is hard to describe the pride that Hokies have for their school.
If there is one word to describe Virginia Tech, my one word would be family.
Great topic, because this day always sucks.
I had plenty of friends that went to Tech, growing up in NOVA and all, but I never gave much thought to actually going. I knew I wasn't gonna be an engineer or anything like that, so back then I thought "why go?"
But when it came time for college tours and all, my dad and I decided to go see some of the Virginia schools. We planned Tech and UVA for the same weekend, and I didn't expect I'd come away particularly impressed with either one.
We got to Tech on a Saturday afternoon and took the tour. I liked the campus, but I was hardly blown away. As were walking to check out downtown, one of my friends from high school practically leapt out of the shops along College Ave., stunned that I was there. I was as well, since I hadn't seen her in two years, but I remember thinking "how cool that on a campus of 30,000, what are the odds I find someone I know?" She of course was eager to show us around and tell us how great Tech was.
That's part of what convinced me to come to Tech, and part of what I think is so special about the place. So many people at big schools talk about how they went there to get lost in the massive collection of people, but that was never my experience with Tech. Especially on 4/16, it's always seemed to me that the student body was all part of one extended family.
My family, a bunch of Pitt grads, have never understood it. My mom even gave me the "why would you want to go where that shooting happened?" guilt trip when I told them my decision. But on today, of all days, it makes me think about how I'm so, so glad I didn't go anywhere else.
So, this is something only the people closest to me know...
I originally attended Virginia Tech to study architecture. At the time, I did not realize how exclusive that major was, but I chose Tech because I loved that they had to earn everything the have. They were not flashy or glamorous; I mean, they chose the school colors because no one else had. Anyway, after a few years at school, I started battling depression and eventually had to leave school. I didn't drop out or withdraw, I basically just stopped going to class. I moved back to Northern VA and worked odd jobs.
Eventually, after getting my head on straight and realizing that I was not progressing in any career without a degree (and did not want to be a retail manager the rest of my life), I started looking into going back to school. I thought about going to NOVA, GMU, etc, since they were close - but I knew I really wanted to go back to Tech.
I called the admissions office in October of 2006 and told them my situation; I was a former student and wanted to come back and finish my degree. The lady asked me when I would like to return and I told her if possible, I would like to start in January. She basically said to me, "We'll see you then." I was flabbergasted at how easy they made it.
I knew I was not going to go back to the school of Architecture, so I scheduled a meeting with Candice Clemenz, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Pamplin. Before meeting with her, I met with an academic advisor from Pamplin to review the transfer process. Since I never officially withdrew from the university, I basically failed all of my classes that last semester. The advisor told me that I would probably need a 3.0 GPA in order to transfer and that my odds did not look good.
Being a bit dejected, I met with Dean Clemenz and talked to her about my situation, my plans, etc. Then she told me about the obsolete credit policy. Basically, if you attend Virginia Tech, but left for at least five years, the admissions team would treat your transcript as a transfer and look at the credits (that apply toward the new degree) only and the grades would not be used to calculate GPA. That January would be exactly five years since I had left. She explained that the reason for the rule was that grades on transcripts that old do not really reflect the person attempting to continue their education now. They don't want to hold people back for mistakes they made when they were younger and have matured since then.
In January, I re-enrolled at Virginia Tech and took mostly freshmen level business classes, so I had a really high GPA. After that semester, I applied to transfer into Pamplin and it was granted. I graduated from Tech with a degree in Management 2008.
Fun fact, that first semester back, I was still technically a student in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. With my high GPA, I made the CAUS Dean's List.
Edit: for grammar and clarity
Dean Clemenz is awesome! I've heard so many good stories about her and have one myself. She is an outstanding Hokie.
The overall grasping of a family atmosphere from the whole community. It is like a small map dot town in that regard but it has 30,000 young adults who buy into that while making it a very fun place.
Growing up, I was always the biggest Hokie fan at my school. My mom is from McCoy (on the New River, where you go tubing), and my dad graduated in the late 70's, so I spent dozens of weekends at my grandparents' house growing up, including football and basketball games and Carol Lee donuts.
4/16 happened my senior year of high school, well after I had been accepted early decision (which was binding). That day, I remember that I couldn't think. I wasn't having second thoughts about going to Tech or worrying or anything, I was so numb that something like this could happen at my favorite place on the entire Earth that I couldn't process anything.
At about 9 pm, my older sister called my parents on the phone in tears and said that one of her best friends from high school, Leslie Sherman, died that day. Leslie was one of the most incredible people I've ever met, happy and encouraging and full of life. That's when I finally started thinking again - never second guessing my decision to be a Hokie, but instead deciding that I needed to dedicate my time at Tech to Leslie, because she wouldn't be able to finish hers.
When I went to school the next day, I was more or less the center of attention, as I was basically Mr. Hokie. I didn't really know what to say or do, but I did know that people were watching and listening to me because I was the most outspoken Hokie supporter at school since, well, forever. An acquaintance of mine said to me "you're not still going to Tech, are you?" and that was the first time I realized that it would even be an option to people. I told him "I want to go to Tech even more now than before. Have you heard about how VT students have come so closely together in this awful moment? That's where I want to be, and I want to live up to Leslie's legacy."
8 years later, I'm still trying to help her legacy live on. I couldn't be prouder of my school and community. Love you all.
I've really enjoyed reading TKP for a while but never felt the need to comment until now. As a West Springfield alum, I remember the impact Leslie's death had on just about everyone at the school. I never knew her personally but you could see how much she meant to so many people. Knowing 31 other families/groups of friends/communities felt the same pain was hard to grasp for quite a while. I was also the kid who wore VT stuff a couple of times a week from elementary school up through high school. There was never any doubt that if I was going to college, it would be at tech. I had a few people ask me similar questions about if I would still want to go there (class of 08 in high school so it wouldn't be for another year). It wasn't ever a question.
I've never seen a community closer and wouldn't trade my time at tech for anything. It still amazes me how genuinely happy hokies are to meet other hokies wherever we are throughout the country. Threads like this just show more reasons why I love this community.
Welcome! Thanks for joining in.
I grew up in Narrows, just a couple of Virginia hills from B'burg. By the time I was 10 years old, I was listening to Tech football games on the radio (Bob Schweikert and Sonny Utz........yep, I am old). When it came time to go to college in 1969, I applied to Tech on "early decision" and never even looked anywhere else. One of my high school friends was on the football team. He and I went to the first football game of 1969, against Alabama. There was such a strange stir in the stadium when Bear Bryant walked onto the field, almost surreal. We lost 17-13, but it was a great game, and I was even more hooked than ever. I stuck around for a couple of graduate degrees, and never missed a game over the next 8 years. I now live in Delaware, and my grown-up daughter is as rabid a fan as I am, and she didn't even attend. We were able to share our feelings with each other on this date.
Just the closeness of the VT community as a whole. Even though today is 4/16, I first experienced how Hokies came together to support one another when 9/11 happened during my freshman year. Everyone comforting and praying for somebody. It was a special time in the midst of darkness.
On a MUCH less somber note:
- I met my first girlfriend there, and this June we'll have been married 9 years.
- Found my passion in work. I went there with hopes of becoming an engineer, but (right before my senior year) changed majors to Spanish. This May I'm graduating from UGA with my PhD in Spanish Linguistics.
Probably the only negative thing I can take away from Virginia Tech is that I was actually a student there the last time we lost to Charlottesville State.
I lost one of my best friends on April 16th.
What makes Virginia Tech special? Simple, it's the people.
I grew up in Charlottesville.
'nuff said
But, seriously, I knew virtually nothing about VT, aside from them having a good reputation as an engineering school, even though I grew up in the state of Virginia. When I was in high school and started to do my campus visits VT was on the list because I wanted to do engineering. I fell in love with the campus during the tour and I knew that I wanted to be there. It wasn't until my freshman year, though, before I realized how special the community was. The school spirit at Virginia Tech is absolutely unmatched and I love that.
I was a freshman 8 years ago, and I lived through an event that has left an imprint on my life permanently. The event, but more-so the aftermath, influenced the character of the person I became over the next 3 years. The way the Community really came together and supported each other was just incredible.
Go Hokies! Never Forget. Always Prevail.
I didn't attend VT as a student. But I was born in Blacksburg and have many family members who are alumni. Growing up in the NRV (Giles Co.) forever binded me to the Hokies. I grew up going to football and basketball games. When I was little my mother, who was enrolled, made friends with the cheerleaders and they let me (a 2yr. old) sttand on the sideline with the Hokie Bird.
When I was in middle school my family moved to Elon, NC. I was the only Hokie fan in school and in 7th grade (2000) I became a die-hard VT football fan. I will never forget the BC game that year. It was my only experience watching Vick in person... I will never forget it!
I attended and played football at App. State, and during that time I tried not to care about VT football. No matter how hard I tried, I could not shake VT football. Every time I watched a game I was emotionally invested. Enter Sandman ALWAYS brought me to tears/gave me cold chills, I took every loss personally, and I knew all of the players names on the roster.
As I've gotten older, I can watch games with less emotion, but no matter what, I will always associate myself with VT and what it means to SWVA and the NRV.
What a great question. I think my answer will fit the theme of a lot of answers on this thread. "Why was Blacksburg special to me?"
It just was. The place, the people, the spirit, the view.
I know that seems like a bit of a cop out answer, but I just felt it through and through the whole time I was there and to this day (Class of '04). I grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia, and when it came time to look at schools I had a great interest in heading south for college. Can't quite remember why, just growing up as a kid loving history and things like that Virginia always seemed like a great place to me. My dad and I put together a college roadtrip. Please don't judge me harshly, but the main place I wanted to check out was LOLUVA. We took a tour at Duke (which I immediately could not stand the people), UNC (which I admit, I really loved Chapel Hill, and I could have seen them as my #2). My dad had played baseball in college and he was familiar with the Salem area and Virginia Tech, so he suggested that we go take a look on our way to UVA.
I took the tour starting from Burruss knowing absolutely nothing about the school. I even happened to run into a guy I knew from high school walking by the library, such a random occurence. Once we got back into the car I turned to my dad and said "Dad, this is where I want to go to school". We made that final stop in Charlottesville, and frankly I had already become biased against UVA in just that short car ride up 81. I guess I was just meant to be a Hokie.
I never looked back and have never regretted it for a second.
I loved VT well before I even took college visits, and as soon as I had visited VT, I just knew. It felt like a home (and does, which is great for a freshman) and still does. There is just an overwhelming feeling of community and togetherness on the campus, and everybody here has pride for VT. Although I am the first in my family to come to Virginia Tech (fun story: my dad was offered to walk on to the VT football team as a punter, but his parents couldn't afford it and didn't know about student loans, so he ended up working straight out of high school), I was raised a Hokie, and finally becoming a Hokie was a dream come true.
Going to the vigil last night for the 32 victims of 4/16 is the closest I have felt to the entire community and even God, it was honestly the most magical moment I have ever seen in my life. I came to VT for moments like that. It also warms my heart that we can drop our dislike for other rival schools and come together to mourn our losses. The food, football, and good academics that come with finding a home make it all the better, but I haven't been homesick once yet, and I don't think I ever would be.
I still remember the first football game that I came to, it was a home game against Cincinatti (blanking on the year), and I'm pretty sure that's when I started to love VT football. But being a homegrown fan has been priceless to me. I wouldn't trade my experiences as a Hokie for anything else.
Everybody have a blessed day, and tell your loved ones how you feel about them, as you never know the last time you will see them (Especially with a biology professor, Dr. Via, recently losing his mother). Go Hokies.
I can speak for many others on this board: I don't think there is a single person that felt homesick while in Blacksburg.
Very nicely said.
I also had Dr. Via - great professor.
Two people convinced me to go to Tech, although indirectly. Growing up I'd always been a HUGE history buff. My dad and I started doing Civil War reenactments when I was in 3rd grade and, needless to say, some of the people there are very into it. There were a couple guys in my unit that were teachers at the time and they'd all been doing it for 20 years plus and the stories they told of some of the old reenactments got me even more interested. I was so interested that of course I wanted to learn what actually happened at these battles so I started watching History Channel (y'know, when it actually showed history) and reading everything that I could. I even schooled a couple of my history teachers on some things in middle school. Yeah, I was that kid.
Going into my senior year of high school, I really didn't have any idea where I wanted to go. I knew that there was absolutely no way I could afford to go out of state and I knew that I wanted to major in history, even if it is incredibly difficult to find a job. So I applied to a bunch of schools in state and got accepted to all of them. YAY! I knew a bunch of people who were going to UVA and I didn't like any of them so that took care of that. But crossing one school off the list didn't help much. To be honest, neither did visiting the schools.
What finally made my mind up was when my acceptance letter from Tech came. It just so happened that I was watching a very old episode of Civil War Journal when Bud Robertson popped on the screen. A couple minutes later so did William Davis. Lo and behold I had grown up listening to these guys AND THEY BOTH TAUGHT AT TECH. Boom, decision made!
Now I'd like to kindly forget that about a week or so after deciding on Tech and sending my letter back that Dr. Robertson decided to retire. Never actually got the chance to meet him, to my dismay, but I have met some pretty awesome people in the History department. I took Dr. Davis's class and took research methods with another awesome (if quirky) professor Dr. Wallenstein. He took me under his wing that semester and I wrote one of the best papers I've ever done. Even presented it at a couple conferences. Then I started really struggling with depression (still am) and stopped going to classes for the better part of 2 years. Obviously, my GPA got super effed up and now I'm taking time off to work here in Blacksburg and get my mind right. My family has asked me to move back to cut down on my expenses and all but there is no place I would rather be than Blacksburg.
I grew up in Harrisonburg and the only thing I knew was I didn't want to go to JMU. I toured UVA and didn't have any strong feelings other than I enjoyed the historical aspects and they had extremely well kept grounds. A few weeks later I toured Tech and just got that feeling that a lot of people have described the first time they set foot on campus. It felt like home. I ended up applying only to Tech and not even early decision. Luckily I got in.
When I started I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life and despite having a rough first year and a half while I realized I really had no idea I stuck with it. Eventually I found what I wanted to do and developed a tremendous group of friends both in major and outside of it. Football games, tailgates, downtown, the mountains, summers, the river. All of it makes Blacksburg feel like home. My wife and have already agreed we're going to retire there sometime way in the future.
Now that I've been out of school for a while it might be the connection you feel towards other alumni that has become my favorite part about Tech. I'm pretty active in the Alumni Association around here and I seriously have trouble remembering if I went to school or not with some of these people. Our experiences were all so similar and our love for all things Hokie so strong that I have to think for a while before i realize I only met them after school. I've never seen any other school maintain that level of connection once you leave the campus. That's pretty special to me.
As a high school dropout, the moment I attained early acceptance from an on-site interviewer at JSRCC after 3 very long years of hard work will always stand out.
Watching my first home football game in person comes in a close second. Miami 99'. Hooked for life.
Perseverance: You, sir.
I am also finishing my second year of CC. I'm at JTCC and a few friends of mine who did the same and went on to universities said you'll look back and they'll be the most boring years of your life. Yeah, I'm just a tad bit excited to move on to Blacksburg hahah
To me, it's very smart to go the CC route. I decided to go to back school at 24 and got and Associate's from Blue Ridge and then my Bachelor's at JMU. I worked full time the whole time and it was grind that took me six years but I graduated with a fraction of the debt most people I know who have their degrees have.
It worked out well for me. As a married transfer with dogs, I fell into the 'non-traditional' camp. My friends were mostly the international students. I had no family support, so I had to go into heavy debt to finish my degree in Computer Science. It was totally worth it.
Boredom is for those who suffer from a lack of imagination.
Love this topic. Leg for starting it on such a day. We need more of this humbling on more days every year.
I came to VT as a student when I was a Rising Senior in 1977 for the 1st summer quarter. I was one of 80 high school students as a member of the 1st Rising Seniors Program (now called the Governor's School) at Virginia Tech. We took 6 college credits and lived in Barringer Hall as HS Rising Seniors. We were treated like other VT students and were expected to perform educationally like them. The boundaries were removed for the 1st time in my life. I loved that, the campus, and had a great relationship with the English professor I had which helped me relish this freedom and understand the responsibility that went with it. I was sold. When I graduated the following year I had applied to only one place for college - Virginia Tech - and had been accepted.
I moved a lot as a Navy Brat my entire life and my time as a student at Virginia Tech made me feel a part of a community feeling with some permanence that I hadn't had my entire life.
I went to the College of Architecture for 2 years (where I developed a hard work ethic) and eventually graduated with a BSEE degree from the College of Engineering. I did Cooperative Education with Harris Corporation in Melbourne Florida while a student and eventually got my 1st job there in May, 1985. I was a VT student for 7 years and loved every minute of it. This place is special and will always be to me - Life long proud member of Hokie Nation!
To make a long story short, 2 years ago my wife and I developed our long term path to retirement plan to start when our youngest child graduated from college. The plan was to find a place where I could continue my high tech career and where we could buy a historical home and build a Bed & Breakfast Inn for her to run (and me do maintenance and whatever else needed to be done that she needed help with). We looked around North Florida, NW Georgia, the North Carolina Mountains, Eastern TN, and SW VA. Bingo, the perfect place rose to the top - Blacksburg, VA! I had introduced her to the area before and she fell in love with it - what's not to love! Our kids played football and cheerleaded their entire lives and through college so we have always been huge HS and college sports fans. That's just gravy!
So, roll 2 years later through a rather long and tough transition and here we are! I work for VT-ARC at the VTCRC and we own a Victorian home near downtown Christiansburg and we are on our way to realizing Inn The Park - A Victorian B-n-B. We work hard every day upgrading the house and yard, my wife is creating a Victorian look in every room of the house (the house is her pallet), and we are making steady progress and hope to open this summer.
On a day like today, I am proud to call the NRV my home. My wife and I plan to help the community in as many ways as we can as we grow our roots here - Ut Prosim. I presently support my VT fraternity chapter, The Theta Xi chapter of Sigma Nu, as an Alumni Adviser; we have joined the Blacksburg Sports Club - to help with their charity focus; once we open we will be in the Chamber of Commerce as well.
April 16 is forever etched in my memory. I cried when it hit the news. How could this happen in Blacksburg? Some good things happened from that day as best described by historyhokie above:
Unity - The best message from the Hokie Nation community that day - is laced throughout that statement.
Go Hokies. Live for the 32. Never Forget.
Edit: I hope Blue Collar Hokie is OK with me reusing this gif. I love it:
Oh I didn't make that gif. Joe posted that probably two or three years ago. I love it too, got it saved.
Most people have strong and fond memories of college....the four (or more) years spent there usually are the formative years of adulthood. It's where many decide what they want to do in life...fall in love for the first time....meet your life mate......form lifelong friendships....enjoy what is usually the first real taste of freedom and the first taste of real responsibility. So, it's entirely normal for the average person to feel like their college or university is a very special place.
Hokies know that our love for all things Tech transcends this. We are bound together as a family. My time at Tech predates the events of 2007 by more than 25 years. Even then, when football was defined in terms of Bill Dooley's three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense and 9-2 seasons without a bowl, and basketball games were known for Metro conference foes and chants for Charlie Moir to put his son in the game, Tech became home for me. I lived in the dorm for four years, and enjoyed my time there immensely. My roommate and I knew each other from the time we were in sixth grade. The guys on my hall on the second floor of Vawter became extended family. I never really felt at home again when I went home. I knew things had changed.
When hearing the news on that cold April day in 2007, it shook every fiber of my being. I didn't know anyone involved. It didn't matter. They were family. It hurt then, it hurts now. Virginia Tech is and will always be home.
What makes Virginia Tech special?
For me that question is easy . . . it's the people. I have attended three other universities and lived/worked in two other cities, and have never come across such a special group of people.
I can still remember the moment I realized I wanted to go to Virginia Tech. I was a freshman at another university and was visiting friends at Tech one evening. We were at some apartment party where I knew the few people I came with. Surrounded by people I did not even know, I felt more at home than at anytime in my freshman year. I transferred and started in the fall of 2006. The uniqueness of Blacksburg was further reinforced in the coming spring and I would not change the three years I spent at Tech for anything in the world.
Beautiful campus, family atmosphere , excellent education with peers & alumni who care about each other, wonderful town & community. Always can't wait to get back "Home".
Long story short, I married into a Hokie family. Both sides of my wife's family have been Hokies for generations. Her mom's side is the side where everyone went to Tech, her dad's side is more like blue collar Tech fans. She's been going to games her whole life. I moved up from North Carolina and a lot of my new friends were into Tech and a lot ended going to Tech. I moved down when my then girlfriend now wife got accepted into the physics program. I got a dead end job down on Commerce Street. This was the fall of 1999.
I think this video of Marty Smith says a lot of how I feel about VT and Blacksburg.
Blacksburg and Virginia Tech mean so much to so many people who never even went to Tech because of what the Maroon and Orange stands for. You work hard, you think of others, you sacrifice for the good of others, you handle your business, and then when the work is done you know how to have a good time.
I didn't even remember what day it was until I got to work this morning and started running reports and glanced at the date. "April 16, Ok. April 16. . . oh." It changed my whole mood. I didn't know anyone who was involved in anyway with 4/16 but it affects me deeply. Students, faculty, townies, fans, however we came to join this community, you can't deny our togetherness. This shared experience of being Hokies is one of the most rewarding things in my life, and I know it's the same for many of you. Here's to many more years of our community staying strong.
Let's Go
Grew up in Ohio. My family is OSU and OU alum. Will never forget my dad stopping the car right in front of the stadium and asking me if I really wanted to go to a school that had a turkey on their football stadium. 1991. Came to VT knowing nobody. Left with the best friends I have ever had. Mudding on brush mountain, tubing on the river, riding back roads...moonshine...good times. Killer tailgates at litton reaves. Met wife there...lotta love in bburg.
There are numerous reasons I love Virginia Tech. I am a fourth generation Hokie. Both parents, grandfather and great grandfather are all graduates plus 6 aunts and uncles. My dad was a former walk-on linebacker (later earning a scholorship). I don't even remember the first game I went to because I was an infant. I very seldom missed a home football game growing up and went to numerous bowl games including the '99 sugar bowl. I went to every game in '99 home and away. You could say that I'm a pure bred Hokie through and through. When it was time to pick a college to attend....well, let's just say there wasn't any other places I wanted to go. I didn't know it was possible to love my school more than I did pre 4/16. But it happened.
I was walking across the drill field that cold morning. People were telling me to "turn around, there's gunfire up there." I had a big project due, so I had to get to class. Seconds later I had to yield to the SWAT team rolling up. stopping by the tunnel under burress to see what was going on over at Norris, a corps member blocked my view telling me not to look through there. I made it to class in Pamplin only to have the door locked behind me. We were on lock down mode and I still had no clue what was going on. We weren't even dating at the time, but my wife and I were both locked in Pamplin that day. 4/16 has helped shape me into the Hokie that I am today because it really showed me that life is fragile and to cherish everyday. I will never forget what happend that day and how all of us came together. Hokies are truly resielient and amazing folks.
Sorry this was kind of poorly written. I was trying to avoid writing a novel.
Wow, I could write a book on this topic. I have so many fond memories of that time.
First, like some others on here I am from the West. Growing up I had zero knowledge of VT. No clue of Blacksburg at all. I did know Virginia though, as my mom was born there and my grandparents lived in Central VA on the James. I had gone to visit them several summers growing up and always had a good time.
So when it came time to look at schools to apply to my grandparents made an offer that they apprently made to every grandchild. Come to school in VA and they would help pay for it. Being that my parents couldn't afford to pay for school for me I decided that would be a good thing, and went to visit schools with my grandpa. I was the last grandchild and the only one to take them up on their offer.
They lived close to UVA and knew the provost there. He all but assured my acceptance into the school and any program I wanted. Even said he could find me some scholarship money. I toured the campus and looked around. To their credit they were very nice.
A few days later we made the trip to VT. I can remember the drive down with my grandfather still. As we made the drive we would pass the various cities along the way to which he seemed to have a story about every one. We passed by his hometown and stopped by to see the old family farm. And by the time we reached VT he was practically humming with excitement. And for my grandpa that was rare. As it happens, my grandpa graduated a member of the Old Guard in 1939 with a Chem Eng degree. Despite that he didn't know anyone there to meet. No provost, no dean, no nothing. We took a tour, spoke to admissions and someone from Arch. The whole time it just felt natural to be there. Everywhere we walked my grandpa remembered being there, though the buildings and campus had changed a lot, he still knew it like the back of his hand. He showed me where he marched off his demerits over a Thanksgiving holiday, of which he routinely got one for not shaving properly. He showed me where he studied, where he had lived, where they used to eat, where they would catch the bus to attend dances and socials at the nearby Women's college, where he met my grandma. To be honest I was sold on the drive down. There was no offer of scholarship or guarantee of admissions. No nothing but the feeling of connection.
When I returned back from the trip I told my mom I knew where I wanted to go and only there. My brother had applied to 20 schools and eventually took an offer to play JC football in California. He had spent nights and nights applying for schools and scholarships. Got accepted to about a third of them.
I applied to one school and one scholarship. I got accepted to both. (though out of state tuition still meant a lot of student loans)
I graduated exactly 60 years apart from my grandpa, who gave me his class ring upon doing so.
That was the first and the greatest thing that makes VT/Blacksburg special to me, but honestly there are so many things throughout my time there that made it so. Great topic.
Now that's a good story.
heart strings...
That is an awesome story. Thanks for sharing!
I've been reading through these posts yesterday and this morning trying to pull together one of my own, with a bit of nostalgia and longing it seems we all share to be back in Blacksburg. This is an excellent topic and I'll try to add my voice to it.
I grew up in southwest Virginia about 1-1/2 hours from VT, but growing up was never really involved or interested in the school. I didn't really follow our football team, although my Dad went to some games in the Vick years and tried to make it up to a game each year with some family friends. My uncle in WV was the only member of my family to attend VT, but we only saw him a few times a year. As high school was winding down I applied to four schools and somehow got accepted into each of them, although there was only one place I'd visited in person: Blacksburg. I decided I'd try my hand at Engineering, given that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, it seemed like an incredibly broad subject, and everyone said I'd have some luck finding jobs after college. I was a senior in high school eight years ago, just a couple weeks prior I'd accepted my offer to attend VT, and watched in shock as the news highlights came in. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.
A friend of mine in school asked me if I still wanted to go to Tech, which surprised me. While I hadn't really followed VT much through the years, I had become a Hokie, and this community, this family would now be my own. I never thought of not going there, even after the tragedy, and it seems like so many others felt the same. I felt I could be used to help heal, and a few years later through some friendships I'd made at VT, I was able to do just that. The vast majority of the friends I made my freshman year were on campus on 4/16, and so that day always lives on for me through their eyes, their pain, their broken hearts, and their resilient spirits. I can't walk past the 4/16 Memorial without pause and reflection that life is short and so very precious.
I'd have to say it was the people that made Blacksburg such a special place for me. To be honest there are probably a million reasons the place holds such a special place in my heart, but right now the people stand out. They showed me what it meant to live intentionally, to cheer on our team in Lane through four quarters, to wear Maroon and Orange every day so your laundry sorts into maroon, orange, and other, to pursue a career and a life beyond just earning a degree, to get back up when you fail, and to enjoy the small things in life. I can't imagine a greater community to have become a part of than the Hokie Nation. I can't find the words to sum it up any better than these, from Will Stewart BSEE '87:
Asking me this question is like asking me, "What makes your cardiovascular system so special to you?"
The top three best moments of my life happened in Blacksburg. It's been a part of my life since I was a newborn.
I don't think I've ever seen so many comments go green in one thread.
My story's a little less heartwarming than most here, but here goes. Although I'm from Maryland, none of the Maryland schools appealed to me, except maybe Hopkins, which was waaaaay out of my price range. I had several friends with older siblings enrolled at Tech and heard a lot about how great the university was and specifically how strong the engineering program was. The icing on the cake, however, was that the application process didn't require an essay, like most others did. That put VT first in my list of applications to complete and I was accepted early, so I didn't bother applying to any others. I came down for an open house sometime in the spring semester and instantly fell in love with the campus and surrounding area. I never thought of myself as an architecture fan, but the buildings were stunning to me. And for a kid who spent his whole life on the flatlands of southern Maryland, the mountains were irresistable. I became a Hokie and never looked back.
Well, despite being 4 hours away in WV, I never really gave too much thought about VT until my junior year of high school. I had no connections to the school and knew nobody down there. Not sure if anyone from my little high school had ever gone to Tech, ever.
BUT when it came to college searching time, I decided I'd give one of the best engineer schools close by a look, and the campus drew me in. Not only that, but for my intended major (Materials Science) I would benefit from the academic common market, allowing me to pay in-state tuition because the state of WV does not offer a similar degree. That was VERY appealing. The decision came down to VT or Pitt (which was offering me some good scholarship money to try to build their MSE program up) and I simply liked the feel of Tech better.
Came down and didn't know a single person, but joined the MVs and I have to say, I don't think there's a faster, easier way to make a boat load of friends before the first day of classes even starts. And as the years went on, I decided that I really like Blacksburg and SW VA, so here I am, working in Roanoke and still living near the South Main Wendy's in Blacksburg!