In my poetry class, we’re working on our poetics lineage: what makes us poets, what and who has influenced us, and how we have become who we are. Throughout the process of making this piece, it made me realize how deeply rooted Blacksburg is in my personhood.
When I first came to Tech, I finished my freshman year at the University of Maryland Global Campus while living in South Korea. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure about coming to VT because I wanted to study abroad. That said, a pandemic had other plans.
My sophomore year was interesting, to say the least. I lived in an apartment with two girls I had never met before and I was still taking classes online. Alongside that, clubs were barely meeting online so finding myself being connected to VT was a difficult task.
However, this led me to walk the Huckleberry at 7 am either by myself or with my roommate Laurel. In the evenings, we’d watch the Washington Wizards and bake cookies. If I wasn’t with her, I was riding my bike around Foxridge, talking to my dad about the different birds I saw on my walks, or writing in my journal.
Part of my lineage, I’ve learned, is Laurel and everything she helped me with during my first year here. While I wish I talked to her more now, I will always remember Foxridge and the movie nights we had together with our roommate, Liz, or another one of Laurel’s friends.
As I moved into my junior year, I became more involved with Her Campus and joined Mozaiko. My roommates that year led to a crazy time, but without them — what would my junior year be? We played karaoke, supported each other in new endeavors, and pushed each other out of our comfort zones.
Now, I’m finishing my senior year.
I don’t think I could be more involved than I am now. I’m a student leader, the VP of marketing for Mozaiko and I’m part of the exec for Her Campus at Virginia Tech. While these accomplishments make me happy, it’s everyone that I met along the way who shaped this year.
To my Student Leader friends, I couldn’t be who I am today without them. To those in Harper, we’ve survived innumerable fire alarms in Harper, had even more late nights at Waffle House, and begrudgingly went to our SL meetings. To those out of Harper, I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to meet you and make lasting memories. Without you all, who knows what this year would be like?
To HCVT, thank you. I found my place within this large campus, and all of the wonderful people I’ve met through this organization have made Blacksburg feel like home. When I first joined, I remembered worrying that my writing wouldn’t be good enough or that my stories wouldn’t work. Boy, I was wrong. If there is one thing I could do all over again, it would be to join HCVT earlier than I did because this organization has been my lifeline for the last three years.
To everyone else I’ve met this year and years prior, know that you will forever be in my heart. Frozen in my writing, your memory will be preserved in my memory. Without you all, I wouldn’t be who I am and I wouldn’t have learned everything that has shaped me into the person I am now. Quite frankly, my sophomore year wouldn’t even recognize who I’ve become.
While I was extremely unsure about coming to VT, I’m proud to call this place home. As I begin the next chapter in my life, let me say that I don’t know how to say goodbye. So, this isn’t a goodbye. Instead, I’ll say this:
See you later, Virginia Tech.