Hokie Pride

As I sat in Squires Student Center, at Virginia Tech, one morning, attempting to study for an exam I had later that afternoon; I couldn’t help becoming distracted by a noisy commotion. From the corner of my eye I could see a child, so small that she could barely walk, working hard to hurry her father through the main doors and into Squires. He stood with his tiny redheaded daughter looking for someone or something.

Working hard to entertain and distract her, he began to point toward different objects asking her what color each object was. The little girl seemed to know her basic colors pretty well; however, her vocabulary skills seemed otherwise undeveloped. The father would ask his daughter to name the color, reward her with praise for a correct answer and then tell her the name of the object. She would then repeat it.

Just as I thought they were finished, having color-coded and named every single thing in the Squires atrium, the tiny redhead walked up to a huge statue, pointed and spoke one word loud and clear. “Hokie,” she said. I was shocked that a toddler who could barely talk knew what a Hokie looked like and then was able to enunciate the word with such clarity. As big and interesting as the statue was, the Hokie failed to hold her attention for long.

Stumbling on, she next caught the attention of one of the janitors working in Squires. He walked over to a kiosk, grabbed a miniature orange football that the homecoming committee were giving out as part of a promotion that day, and approached the little one. He proceeded to get down on one knee, and at eye level, extended his hand with the football and said, “Here you go.” The little orange football was almost a perfect match to her curly red hair. She stopped moving, looked at the man confused and stood very still. Slowly a small smile crept across her face as she reached out and took the ball. Ball in hand and now wearing a big smile she was off once again. The dad, also smiling now, stepped over to thank the janitor for the gift.

It was that day, in Squires, that I realized why so many people fall in love with Virginia Tech. Yes, we have great football and basketball teams and yes, we have a great campus with phenomenal resources and yes, there’s lots to do and great places to eat, but all of this is only a small part of what makes Virginia Tech a special place.

It is the “Tech Family” that makes this place truly remarkable. The Tech Family of janitors, students, little red heads with orange footballs, little boys wearing their number five football jerseys, and the little ones’ parents. The Tech Family of professors, TAs, counselors and the Blacksburg families playing out on the drill field on Sunday mornings.

The Tech Family of all those who choose to make themselves part of this community and who share a smile, hold a door, lend a hand and make you feel good just being here. It is this family, my family, that makes me smile and makes me proud to be part of it all. This is Hokie Pride.