Dear Virginia Tech,
You walked into my life a long time ago. You didn’t walk in; you jumped into my life. From the very first basketball game against the University of Maryland I went to as a little girl, to the time I applied and accepted my decision to come to Tech, you were always there. I might have not realized your presence until recently, but you were always there, in the shadows, waiting for me to realize my full potential. You captivated me with your beauty and community. When I walked onto your campus, I was overwhelmed with pride, respect and, all in all, a (second) home. You make me feel special. You make me feel loved. You make me feel at home.
When I applied last minute to you, I wrote the essay “Top Five Reasons I Want to be A Hokie.” Looking back on it now, I cringe at the look of my senior-level writing, but the ideas behind the essay were true and true. One of them included the Hokie spirit. Such as: everyone here bleeds maroon and orange. You can’t pass at least five consecutive people without seeing maroon and orange. Every Hokie knows how to pair maroon and orange, and when in Blacksburg, one can always find a maroon dress for game day. It’s inevitable.
Another reason, along the same lines of showing our true colors, is that each Hokie has their own personal connection to this great school. For example, while coming to Tech countless of times for games and other various events, I did not want to come here. I was the minority in my family of Hokies. I wanted to be different, to be a part of a different school, to branch off the Hokie family line. But once I came to you and experienced the campus as a prospective student, something came over me at that very first step onto campus on that sunny and beautiful day of Hokie Focus. I knew. I knew I wanted to be a Hokie for myself. That day became the first day of my brand new journey of being a Hokie.
I want to say thank you. I want to say thank you to the campus, the administration, the professors, housing, Virginia Tech Dining Services (bless you, chicken parmesan peeps), Athletics and the students. I say thank you to everyone and more who has let me into your community and given me a chance to go beyond my comfort zone, to share my love of service through Ut Prosim and to invent the future.
I thank you, Virginia Tech. You are my one true love.
Sincerely,
Forever a Hokie
