Virginia Tech

Back to School

The return to Blacksburg, VA for the fall semester was significant this time around. Not only does it mark the dawn of my senior year or the first time in a classroom since April 16th, it marks a calming feeling I haven't had since I last sat in Shanks Hall taking notes. It's the ability to say I've moved on.

Like all of my fellow Hokies, I've been heartbroken and shocked at the events of last April. Not a day, not even a couple hours, has gone by where I haven't lived out that cold and windy Monday morning over and over in my head.

The days and weeks following were most appropriately described as an uplifting religious experience. All the support - hugs, tears, flowers, cards and memorial from the community and universities worldwide marked the most unified population I had ever been a part of. Enough with the unimaginable support from our local and global community, I have to admit that I was ready to get out of Blacksburg and begin the process of moving on.

I realized my expectations of coming home and forgetting about that day were irrational. Summer in the old stomping grounds for college students means long due reunions and the initial questions of, "How was your school year?" or "What are your summer plans?"

Hokies this summer had the understandably different experience. The curiosity for a firsthand account was prominent of friends and family back home. And though there were times where I didn't want to face the subject, I really can't blame any of them. I met a Columbine student once and my first inconsiderate instinct was to ask them about the tragedy they experienced back in 1999. So, I talked about it with friends during our initial meetings, and it was brought up every so often throughout the summer.

My wardrobe consists of several Virginia Tech shirts, which have always been a converstation starter. But instead of questions about Tech's football team or engineering program, I was questioned sympathetically about whether I was on campus or if I knew any of the victims. It actually felt good to talk about my experiences with complete strangers rather than keep it bottled up in my head.

Northern Virginia is the epicenter for Hokies. So it is not uncommon for any resident to run into a student who was in Blacksburg last April. But when I took a cross-country trip this summer, I felt like a spokesman for the University.

In Ely, Nevada, a remote town along US-50, my friend and I turned heads in the casino when we mentioned where we were coming from. I saw a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park, and while I wanted to discuss Barry Bonds with their fanbase, they all wanted to hear about April 16th. They expressed their continuous sympathies and prayers. It was touching to hear those words from a stranger on the other side of the nation.

By the end of the summer though, I was ready to stop talking about it, and my only desire was my return to Blacksburg. Being reminded by yourself and others around you really begins to take a toll. I missed my fellow Hokies, and I knew the best way to move on was to move on together.

The weather and atmosphere around campus on Monday was polar opposite of April 16th. Once again the town was blooming with color and the blazing August sun reminds us that the leaves will soon return to that signature southwest Virginia orange and maroon.

Students proudly wore their Hokies United shirts, which I saw all over the state this summer. Norris Hall is unoccupied for the most part, but a fresh vase of flowers on the front steps are much more comforting than the yellow police tape that surrounded the building through April and May.

Clubs and organizations are back at it, recruiting freshmen and new memebers all over campus. And directly in front of Burruss Hall, on the hilly edge of the drillfield, stands the campus' newest project: Thirty-two Hokie stones in semicircle surrounded by flowers and a walkway remind us of the Hokies that have passed, but that we have not forgotten.

I kneeled down at this memorial Monday morning. I put my hand atop Nicole White's stone and paid my final respects once again. For once I was able to contain my emotions. I sat there in silence, and when I walked away it was the biggest step I have taken in this whole moving on process.

It was a perfect moment to do so, as I was on my way to my first class in over four months. I can't describe the apprecation I felt for returning to a classroom; this whole situation made me realize how much I've taken for granted and how blessed and privileged we are to be here, to be Hokies. One final year means it's my last chance to buckle down. And could their really be a stronger motivation factor?

Blacksburg appears to be moving on impressively. Downtown is still full of memorial signs and the Hokies United shirts can be seen left and right. And the events of last April really aren't a hot topic. I believe it is because most of the people around me had a summer experience similar to mine.

I bet we all had plenty of conversations about it, but we are all ready to move on. Everyone is focused on returning to class while the upcoming football season and the latest Michael Vick news are the most common subjects.

Next week will be a big one for Blacksburg. Unless you're a Hokie, it is hard to comprehend what the Virginia Tech football team means to this community. Lane Stadium was the convocation point of the Hokie community way before April 16th.

Next Saturday 66,000 Hokies will unite for the season opener against ECU - one of the most sought out tickets in the school's history. Hokie football is what so many of my fellow students cherish about this school. Many of us might not have chosen Virginia Tech if it weren't for it national sports attention. So it is safe to say that will be the communities major moving on point.

On September 1st when the Hokies kickoff their season, which they have dedicated to those who have passed, the saying will no longer be about how we are going to prevail; it will be, "We are Virginia Tech. We have Prevailed."