I Am Not A Hokie

But I will neVer forgeT.

This past Saturday was bright and sunny. It was someones birthday, someones anniversary.
Couples broke up. Others started their lives together. It was also a memorial, a time of
remembrance for a tragedy that shook the nation and marked the beginning of a catastrophic
time for our country. On April 16th, 2007, a student opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech
in Blacksburg, Virginia. 33 lives were taken that day; friends, siblings, parents, teachers,
innocents, students, significant others, dreamers, doers, world-changers. Countless others were
changed forever. Hearts were broken. Ribbons were pinned. T-shirts were printed. Memorial
walks and other events were created. Today, almost ten years later, tears are still shed and lives
are treasured, remembered fondly for the impact they left on the surface of the world for their
brief time upon it.

I remember that day nine years ago. It was balmy for mid-April, but I shouldnt have been
surprised because it was always hotter down in the Valley than it was atop the mountain. Mom
and I ordered pizza through a sketchy drive-thru. I think it was good; I dont really remember
how it tasted. I can hear the first voices crackling through the radio. Those voices carried the
conversation on our silent drive home, the number tolling higher as we got closer. We sat at an
impasse on the curvy mountain road while men in orange vests tinkered away with repairs.
Were they aware of what was happening? Would they leave at their shift change, expecting to
hear from someone who might never call again? Out the drivers side window was a church. I
wondered where God was that day.

At the time, I was 13 years old. I had no clue of where I would go to college. I was a bit scared
about going to high school later that year. I didnt understand how a person could feel so broken
and alone that they thought the only way to rid themselves of the pain was to intentionally hurt
other people. Did I even have the right to be sad about the whole thing? I wasnt a student
there, wasnt a prospective student coming in to join the Hokie family, and I truthfully didnt know
anyone who was there at the time. Who was I to be affected? I learned that I, too, was a part of
history. I experienced it. I lived it. I had the right to mourn innocent people who were taken from
this world too soon and be angry with God for letting it all happen. Its a history lesson I hope to
never forget.

Weve reached that point in our generation where children are born who dont remember
September 11th. There will come a time where few remember Virginia Tech. Some say we live
in a crumbling, detrimental world that is driving itself into the ground. Tragedies, however, are a
part of living. We must face them, despite how difficult they are, and from them we grow
stronger. If you can recall a tragic event in your life, whether it be Virginia Tech or another
situation, never forget. Forgive those that hurt you. Move on past the pain and remember that it
is okay to smile and laugh for those who are no longer with us. Lastly, always, always
remember. Personal accounts are how the past lives on. Its how the world learns, how we
learn. In the wise words of philosopher George Santayana, Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it.

On April 16, 2007, I was a Cavalier. Now, Im a Wasp, but there is a part of me that will always
be a Hokie.