Seven years is a long time.
But not long enough to forget what happened. To forget how 32 lives were taken and 32 families were forever changed.
Even though I was born and raised in Virginia, I’m not a Virginia Tech fan. I didn’t grow up with ties to the school in any way, so Tech was never really talked about in my house.
But today… today is different. Today reminds me of how fragile life is and how quickly things can change. Today brings up so many emotions, especially knowing someone whose family was affected by the tragedy. I can still remember being a freshman in high school and even though I didn’t know any current students at Tech, I was scared and in shock.
I remember my newly-made friend, Emma, being gone for a week to be with her brother who was shot. I remember her bringing in a copy of People Magazine to show us her brother on the cover as a survivor. I will always admire her strength and poise for the past seven years when this day rolls around. I don’t know if I would be able to handle things the same way she has been able to handle them.
The picture above is one of my favorite pictures that came out of the situation. Not only did Tech’s own community come together quickly in the face of adversity, but so did Virginia colleges as a whole. I love seeing all the different college mascots together to comfort the Hokie bird. It’s always been an incredibly powerful picture for me.
I will forever bleed purple and be a Duke, but today we’re all Hokies.
Kathryn G. Flocco 