I almost didn’t go here because of the shooting

Like any other high school senior, I was anxious over the unspoken possibility that I may not get accepted into any of the universities that I applied to.

Interpretation of that smile: “I survived high school.”

Let’s be honest, this is a shared thought that we’ve all had even for a millisecond during our senior year. However, this fear wasn’t the kind that emerged from the looks of my GPA, recorded volunteer hours, or SAT scores, precisely. This was the type of fear that originated from a view of myself when compared to others.

I examined my list of potential universities based on comparison as well. I thought, “only a good quality college has the potential of shaping their student into a good quality member of society.” As a result, I didn’t even consider Virginia Tech as an option because all I could think of was the shooting from April 16, 2007.

I’m not saying that there were reasons to be skeptical about the quality of Virginia Tech itself. I was simply nervous by the thought of attending a school that experienced such a massive incident. It was the kind of feeling that equated to the fright that you experience when your tour guide jokes that the haunted house you’re exploring can potentially curse you. While you try to laugh off the joke like the other visitors, the chilling thought of, “What if?” is stuck on your mind.

As a result, the fact that such an incident had once occurred caused me to think, “What if another shooting occurs?” and “How would I be able to bear the pain of hearing that my friend isn’t running late for our regular lunch meet, but isn’t going to make it to any of our lunch meets anymore?”

I wanted to run and hide from any possibility of such warning signs.

Yet, the fear of not getting accepted to any university pushed me to at least take a look at Virginia Tech’s college application.

As I was skimming through the essay questions, I learned that Virginia Tech’s motto was Ut Prosim: “That I may serve”. The motto didn’t enable me to build a sudden trust toward Virginia Tech. However, reading that motto somehow shifted my focus on how Hokies reacted and were still reacting to the incident. I wondered how Virginia Tech was doing after the incident since the shooting was my only knowledge of the school (of course along with the food and engineering program.)

Two years since my struggle to straighten out my jumbled thoughts, life as a Hokie has been nothing like the “fear” I butted heads with during my senior year of high school.

The environment of Virginia Tech has been as comforting as the food. Hokies are prepared to help and support you in various ways. And yes, Hokies know that there’s no tangible gain in, for instance, holding the door, being “friends” with a classmate for just one class during one semester, or yelling “Let’s Go Hokies” because another Hokie felt like shouting the chant. Hokies also are well aware that dedicated participation in Big Event, Relay for Life, and the April 16 Remembrance events aren’t required. We know. However, we just want to live the Ut Prosim life because, the way I see it, living by Ut Prosim reminds us that no incident can stop us from maintaining a lasting tradition of always remembering, never forgetting, and continuously serving.

Gotta help out by rockin some orange jumpers, ja feel? Just kidding, perfect example of how to dress to not impress

So you should join us. Let’s be Hokie helpers who invent the future together by serving.