Coming to Va. Tech After the Shootings

By Austin W. G. Morton

For most high school seniors, the month of April is a joyful time of college acceptances and preparation for life away from the nest. The decisions to make and options to weigh are countless: The school with the good football team or the school with the best academics? Laptop or desktop? Red towels or white?

However, those who had been accepted into Virginia Tech's class of 2011 had a much more serious decision to make following the April 16 shootings. Having received their acceptance letters just weeks -- or in the case of those who applied early decision, months -- before, these individuals now had new options to weigh: The university that had just experienced the worst school shooting in the history of modern America or the university that hadn't?

Now in my fourth year at Tech, I can't say with full confidence that I wouldn't have retracted my acceptance had I been in their shoes. Like many high school seniors, college was to be the first time I had spent more than just a few weeks away from home. Your college campus is supposed to become your new home, your sanctuary, the place where you feel safe, where you belong. I don't know how difficult it would have been to establish that mentality upon entering the Virginia Tech community for the first time. If I were a freshman, I would've been worried that I would be viewed as an outsider: someone who missed out not only on the unthinkable tragedy, but also on the strong bonds that were formed as a result.

In talking with freshmen about their decision to come here, I found that many of them had similar fears that they chose to try and overcome. One year later, they have a lot to say about how April 16 has affected their student experience and their plans for the anniversary.

Kristin Frank, an 18-year-old freshman from Linwood, N.J., admitted that she often feels as if she doesn't have a right to discuss the tragedy with people who were on campus that day simply because she wasn't.

"It is almost as if I am an outsider trying to understand, but never will," Frank said.

Freshman David Alderman, 19, from Thomasville, Ga. Disagrees: "We need to be able to talk about it so that we remember those lost. In a weird way, I feel proud, proud to be a Hokie."

Frank and Alderman both plan on attending the commemorative events in honor of the anniversary as they feel it is their duty to their school.

"While I may not have been here to experience the tragedy, I am beginning to feel connected to the university and therefore, everything the university has been through," Frank said.

"I do not know the people who lost their lives, but I know their friends, their professors and their families. I will be attending the events to show my support for them."

In talking with freshmen, it's hard not to notice the overwhelming sense of pride they already have in their school. I am so impressed not only by their maturity, but by the grace with which they handle the topic of April 16. Knowing the struggles that they, too, have been through and witnessing firsthand their unconditional support makes me proud to be a Hokie.

By Amy L. Kovac |  April 15, 2008; 2:00 PM ET  | Category:  Austin W.G. Morton
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