April 16, 2007 is a day I am sure many of you remember. I was a high school freshman then, and I remember distinctly hearing about the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. 32 students and faculty members were killed that day, and thousands were affected. I remember seeing the fear on the faces of students and teachers with family members at Tech, and wondering how something this awful could happen. That was four years ago this past Saturday.
Now, my best friend from high school is an extremely proud Hokie, and a member of the Marching Virginians, the Tech marching band. I don't think Stephanie has gone a day without wearing maroon and orange since she was accepted university.By mere coincidence, this weekend was the only one I had free to visit her in Blacksburg-something I had promised her I would do since August. So, thanks to my busy schedule, I had the honor of being at Virginia Tech for the four-year anniversary of the April 16 shootings.
There were several events in memory of those lost in the tragedy, including a 3.2-mile run (which hundreds participated in despite the fact that it was officially cancelled due to the weather) and a candlelight vigil.
I didn't go to the run, even though I was registered. When we heard it was cancelled, we took that as an invitation to sleep in, a decision that we all later regretted.
However, we did go to an indoor picnic, which was originally supposed to be an outdoor picnic for the runners following the run. I noticed that all students on campus that day were wearing their school colors. Their pride and support were obvious. It was almost chilling.
I tried to be active in the events of the weekend, even if I did feel a little out of place in the sea of autumn colors. I even went so far as to borrow one of Stephanie's shirts for the vigil. I usually have a strict no non-Longwood collegiate apparel policy, but I made an exception to show my support for Virginia Tech and Stephanie, who insisted this was a nice gesture.
We made our way to the vigil after exploring campus and taking a treacherous four-mile hike to the Cascades. We all got candles and gathered on the drill field for the 7:30 p.m. sunset ceremony. I have never seen so many boxes of candles in my life.
Stephanie and the others who went with us to the vigil explained that they were sure that they were going to cry. "I cried at Marley & Me," said one of her friends, "so I'm sure I'll cry for this." I told them that I wasn't really a crier. Even the saddest of stories leave me dry-eyed. But, as the speakers read off the names and descriptions of the 32 people killed in the shooting, my eyes welled with tears. I realized that this sort of thing could have happened at any school and at any time.
I wondered what I would have done if someone I cared about was killed in such a terrible way. If this had happened now instead of four years ago, I know I would call Stephanie frantically to make sure she was okay. And I know that if she hadn't answered my call, I would have totally lost it.
Every one of the people killed was an interesting and promising individual. One of the graduate students had discovered the first West Nile infected mosquito in Pennsylvania. One professor was a Holocaust survivor.
These bios sort of made me wonder what would be said about me if something like this happened. Watching this ceremony in honor of those 32 lives cut tragically short made me more grateful for my own life. It's really impossible to know how much time you have.
Even four years later, the damage done by this tragedy is still obvious. The people who lost friends and family members will never truly heal, and nothing will ever bring back those lost. A large memorial stands directly in front of Virginia Tech's most famous building, Burris Hall, serving as a permanent reminder of that day.
The text message alert system that is now popular at most colleges was one positive result of the tragedy, and serves to help make sure that nothing of this magnitude ever happens again on a college campus.
So, this was a pretty somber weekend getaway, but I'm glad I chose this weekend to visit Virginia's largest university. It is an experience that will follow me for the rest of my life. I'll always be a Lancer, but on Saturday, I was a Hokie too.
