Today is April 16th. Today is a day that will always be remembered.
If you have read my About Me section, you will know that I am a proud Hokie. I began my time at Virginia Tech in 2010 and finally graduated in the fall of 2014. When I began my time at VT I got a lot of questions. What exactly is a hokie? Are you afraid that it will happen again? It. On April 16, 2007 panic spread throughout the community, throughout Virginia, and eventually throughout the country as word spread that 32 Hokies were killed by another student, who would also take his own life. People thought the school would fall apart, that the pain and sadness would overwhelm the community. But, the community united. Virginia Tech prevailed.
As a Hokie, I will always be saddened by the loss of 32 of our own. I will be saddened that our amazing university will be remembered for this tragedy. However, my heart finds joy in this wonderful community. Today, on the 8th anniversary of our loss, the campus was a sea of maroon and orange. The Hokie Spirit was prevalent as people took the opportunity to serve others.
At Virginia Tech our motto is Ut Prosim which means “that I may serve.” I am constantly humbled by the love and respect for others that makes our community unique. Hokies strive to invent the future by making the world a better place. It is with this Hokie Spirit that I prepare for God’s calling of my heart. Although leaving Blacksburg will be hard, I cannot wait to go out and spread God’s word and love. Everyday I will continue to strive toward living out our motto, Ut Prosim.
Although it is impossible to understand why someone would take another life or why this tragedy happened, I am comforted that God will make everything right in His timing (1 Peter 5:10). “The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it (John 1:5).”
“While 32 of our friends and classmates are in heaven trying to explain what a Hokie is, I stand here sure in the fact I wouldn’t want to be anything else.”
neVer forgeT
