We talk about community quite a lot here at Virginia Tech. And I mean, why wouldn't we? Between the people and the beautiful campus, we're known for making a place truly feel like home. No, there isn't any one specific thing that makes it home. And for many people, it's a combination of many different things - the hospitality, the student-faculty relationship, the everlasting university traditions, the ability to come together and support one another through our times in need.
But there is one thing in particular that I want to focus on that speaks a lot on our community; one thing that has become second nature to everyone that has stepped foot on our campus; one thing that is so well known yet is so often overlooked: the renowned cheer "Let's go, Hokies!"
All of us Hokies can attest to the fact that it's a quite simple cheer, really. Someone starts it off by yelling "let's go," and someone follows with "Hokies!" But to even start the cheer, one has to have an immense amount of faith in those around them to continue the cheer and not let their valiant "let's go" die out in the silence. Now, don't you notice that there is something quite peculiar about the concept of this sports cheer? At what moment in our collegiate lives did it become instinctive for us reply to "let's go" with "Hokies?" It's not as if anyone explicitly told us. But I guess that's the beauty behind it all. As a part of this community, you just know.
And one of the most wonderful things about this is that no matter where you go, when you exclaim "let's go," the response is automatic: HOKIES. Be it a classmate, a friend, an alumni, a lifelong fan, or even a complete stranger - in those three seconds of exchanging those three words to one another, you've recreated that sense of community found on campus. Through those three words, you've managed to relive and share with someone else some of your most treasured moments at Virginia Tech. Through those three words, you've managed to make your way back home, even if only for a few seconds.
That my friends, says so much about the incredible community that we come from as Hokies. There is something so special hidden behind those four syllables. We're reminded that as big as the world may seem, we're not alone; that there will always be someone by our side; that this community stretches far beyond its physical location of Blacksburg, Virginia.
It's comforting, especially for an anxious senior trying to delay graduation as much as possible. Knowing that regardless of where the next chapter of our lives will take us - grad school, a full-time job, living with our parents - something as simple as three words will always bring us back home to Virginia Tech.
Let's go...
