Last weekend I sprinted home to see Brother #1 graduate from Virginia Tech. My textiles block project prevented me from attending the big ceremony in Lane Stadium, but Mom and I made it to Blacksburg in time to see him receive his degree in mechanical engineering.
It was Mom's first visit to the campus, and my first in two years, so we were both struck by the peaceful beauty of the mountains on our drive. Of course, one you get to VT, the most impressive thing is the scale of the campus. My college world at W&M was much smaller - my entire graduating class fit into the basketball arena floor, whereas just VT's college of engineering took up that much space.
It's been a long time since the April 16 shootings my brother's freshman year, but that event continues to bond and define the Tech community. It was very touching that the college of engineering granted posthumous degrees to the parents of students killed on April 16. The whole arena gave them a standing ovation. Brother #1's class is the last one to remember that day; for next year's undergrad student body April 16 will be a story but not a memory. A memorial on the drillfield ensures that VT will never forget. Still, it will be interesting to see how April 16 is commemorated when Brother #2 attends one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment