Virginia Tech's SAA Blog!

As I conclude my final fall semester in Blacksburg, I can’t help but look back on how magical of a place Virginia Tech is. Here’s a compilation of some things I want younger hokies to know about as they move forward in their time here.              1) Actually take advantage of the traditions here. We all came to Virginia Tech for one reason or another, and partaking in our ring dance, ring premiere, Enter Sandman, or touching the game ball are all ways to help fuel your love for this place even more.             2) E at everywhere! I didn’t find my favorite on campus dish (rice bowl from West End) until Junior year, and I WISH I could’ve been eating them since freshman year. Let yourself explore, it’s all amazing food. And now that Owens’ General Tso’s is back to its original, truly everything is amazing.       3) Get involved. Like really, get involved. We have such a variety of or...

There are many Virginia tech experiences but being a hokie in and of itself is the most important experience. What does it mean to be a hokie? This question has been answered and asked many times before, but what is the answer? We are all taught that the proper way to reply is I am. This is a simple answer with a complex background. A hokie is how I, you, we define it to be. There are a multitude of overlapping definitions that encompass the experience as a Virginia tech student. We are all hokies yet each and every one of us is different. That is what makes us special. A hokie isn’t just a mascot or a label, but rather a culture. It unites the student body and makes the Virginia tech experience rich. Collectively we burst with pride as we jump to enter sandman and shove turkey legs in our mouth. We help each other when we need it most through simple gestures. We include the Blacksburg community. WE ARE THE HOKIES. Everything we do stands for what a hokie truly is. We define hokie t...

As a leadership minor, I am often surrounded by many different types of leadership. What people think it is, what it should be, who are leaders, what a leader should do, etc. I have also completely immersed myself in the leadership experience at Virginia Tech. Taking time to fully embrace my duties as a citizen, and a Hokie, to help othe rs and pursue growth. In my sophomore year of college, I was elected to be a member of the inaugural cohort of Aspirations Fellows. It is an honor given to a Virginia Tech student who embodies the five Aspirations for Student Learning. I've found that the Aspirations for Student Learning are the type of leadership mantras we need. It is not about leading for the sake of power, acknowledgment, or self-fulfillment, but for the benefit of others. This is my story of growth relating to the aspirations, and I can only hope that it will inspire others to lead a life committing to unwavering curiosity, pursing self-understanding and integrity, pra...

Blacksburg may not be at the epicenter of the music scene, but we still get our fair share of concerts. Thanks to the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and the Virginia Tech Union (VTU), campus welcomed rappers Lil Yachty and Kash Doll on April 3rd at Burruss Hall for our annual Spring Concert. As expected, the duo gave an electrifying performance and a great excuse to avoid homework for a night! Even more recently, VTU hosted the 17th Annual Soundfest on April 27. Soundfest is a free music festival held at the Drillfield featuring local and national artists, carnival rides and attractions, tie-dye, and food and drinks. The festival was headlined by Matt and Kim, an indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York. The group has garnered national attention for their entertaining and energetic live shows and upbeat music. They are most famously known for their single “Daylight,” which was certified Gold by the RIAA. Other performing artists included The Districts, Rexx Life Raj, Honest ...

A lot has changed since I first came to Virginia Tech in fall of 2015. But that doesn’t change the fact that this place has been, is, and will always be home. There’s something about this place that’s great in a very unique sense. I get why Laura Wedin, among many others, can spend her entire life here—getting to work in a beautiful, diverse place with so many different, passionate people that comprise the amazing VT community. College has been HARD over the last four years, but has it been an indescribably profound experience. From first arriving on campus as a freshman, I knew I’d come to love this place even before I felt comfortable here. I also had a preconceived idea of what my college career was going to look like. But as I sit here writing this outside of Torgersen Hall at 1:12 a.m., I realize that college has not at all gone how I’d expected it to, in just about every possible way. From my first major of building construction to now looking at beginning a career in marketin...

As the month of October arrives in Blacksburg and its surrounding areas, there comes a nip in the air. This chill seeps throughout the wild valleys and woods. The leaves turn a burning orange shade and the nights become oh so longer. With the longer night comes Halloween and its haunted houses that all Virginia Tech students should experience. Here are some of the spookiest haunted houses to visit, if they so dare. The Dark Woods Haunted Trail Website: http://fithianfarms.com/ 228 Shire Lane, Christiansburg, VA Open every October weekend, Fri. & Sat. from 7:30pm - 11:00pm, Admissions $10 Haunted self-guided trail through the dark woods. Over a mile long filled with ghosts and monsters, beware! Includes a spooky haunted house, deserted mine shaft, mazes, medieval torture chamber, and a carnival tent. St. Albans Sanatorium Website: http://www.stalbans-sanatorium.com/ 6248 University Park Dr., Radford, VA Dates, times, and admissions costs TBA Walk the haunted...

“The relayers raise the money, the money funds the research, the research is one step closer to finding a cure, therefore, the relayers are finding a cure.” Relay for Life at Virginia Tech is the largest collegiate event in the nation and has been since 2009. On April 19 th , 2019 the event raised over $473,000 for the American Cancer Society. In the history of VT Relay, the event has raised a total surpassing $6M.   Despite the rain, Hokies showed their support and shared their dedication to Ut prosim while raising awareness for cancer research. A special performance by Chelsea Cutler headlined the entertainment for the night. There was a silent disco, food, and lots of fun! As a Hokie, “Ut prosim” is a way of life and the twelve-hour movement embodies our dedication to eliminating cancer. Relay for Life brings the campus and community together to remember loved ones lost, honor survivors, and raise funds to support research. Whether you have a personal connection to cancer, or no...

April often proves to be one of the busiest times of the year for Hokies. With everything from The Big Event, Relay for Life, Spring Game, and preparing for finals, it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose peace of mind. All of this calamity, however, comes to screeching halt for all Hokies when we come together to remember the 32 lives lost on April 16, 2007. On a colder than average Monday night, Hokies began to appear on the drillfield close to midnight wrapped in blankets with grieving faces. A sizeable crowd of almost 1,500 was soon formed around the memorial in complete silence. Members of the Corps of Cadets stood guard in front of the memorial draped in their navy-blue uniforms. The crowd stared blankly at the 32 pieces of hokie stone that were each covered with a bouquet and waited for the ceremony to begin. Speakers emerged from Burruss and approached the podium as a candle was brought to the center of the memorial, which was then transferred to the ceremonial f...

From the time I was a young child, I had been fantasizing about what college would be like. What would my path be? Where would I go? My brain swarmed with possibilities as I had extreme goals to cure diseases, end world hunger, and other large scale projects. I also wondered about smaller scale things. How is mom doing? Do you have a boyfriend? Are you happy? As my freshman year at Virginia Tech draws to a close, some of my ideas of college from when I was a kid do and do not align with the reality that I have faced. To young me (including my high school self), here is a message to you and others like you. Remember the late nights you spent awake worrying that you wouldn’t be able to afford or attend college? The rants and vents to your loved ones because of the fear of life not working out as planned? It all worked out somehow. You experienced a rollercoaster of emotions senior year as college acceptance letters rolled in, filled with condolences and congratulations, and ...

With returning to Blacksburg, alumni are always excited, but one thing that gets them jumping almost as much as Enter Sandman at Lane Stadium is visiting their favorite dining halls to get on-campus food. It is no secret that Virginia Tech cooks up amazing dishes, with The Princeton Review and Niche ranking our campus food amongst the top ten schools year after year. While it is practically impossible to make a wrong selection, there are some choices that students are raving about. If you are only in town visiting for a game or for the weekend, here are our students’ current favorite menu options! Owens Food Court- Chicken Parmesan The chicken parmesan served from Lotsa Pasta in Owens Food Court is so popular that it has its own Twitter account and signature day in its honor.  It is a classic Italian favorite with a breaded and deep-fried chicken breast covered with creamy provolone cheese and marinara sauce, placed on top of oodles of noodles. With grated parmesan and chopp...

Every year on Halloween, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets participate in a time-honored and dear tradition known as Stick-or-Treat. The idea behind this tradition is that the entire regiment is given the chance to show their creativity and have fun for a couple of hours. The entire regiment gets dressed in costume, goes outside, and has a formation (a formation is a military term for the organization of soldiers!). The formation is quite the sight , with cadets dressed up as prisoners, cartoon characters,  and other varieties of creative costumes. After a few laughs are shared outside, the cadets are dismissed, and they head back into their respective unit areas (residence hall floors). Here is where the tradition gets interesting… The tradition finishes with upper-class cadets trick-or-treating around the freshmen rooms.  During the first round, the freshmen cadets give upper-class cadets small, snack-size pieces of candy. During the second round of trick-or-treating, ...

Here at Tech, we all know that when the leaves start to turn Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon that fall is officially here. The bitter cold mornings that turn into perfect fall days are the best days. Football season automatically becomes better when that chilly Thursday night football game comes around, and this year’s against Georgia Tech was no disappointment… well, maybe a little at the end. Thursday night football isn't the only fall festival that we have geared up. Homecoming Week swept the campus by storm, and all of the Hokies felt a little more pep in our steps while we were surrounded by booths for all of the candidates. The game ball being run around campus always brings a smile to everyone’s faces, and to the viewers of their Snapchat stories it’s bound to end up on. The SAA spirit rally, per usual, was no disappointment either! With all of the dance groups performing and the hype squads ready, it set off our Young Alumni Terrace Party off with a bang! Virginia Tech R...

On Friday, November 23rd, Virginia Tech played in the Commonwealth Cup against the University of Virginia.  Virginia Tech had a 14 year streak with the cup, but with our winning streak currently at 4-4, if we didn’t win, we would lose this title that our past football teams had worked so hard to achieve.  As one of the 66,000 fans jumping to Enter Sandman, I can say the energy in the stadium was electric. Even if our home game record was 1-3, we screamed like we won every game.  Before you knew it, the game was off and we quickly gained momentum, scoring the first 14 before halftime.  People were excited and we had the game in the BAG until UVA came back out and started scoring.  By the end of the fourth, with craziness, yelling, crying and *just a little* sweat, we were tied at 31.  I have never seen so much anxiety in one stadium, and knowing that overtime would decide the fate of Virginia Tech football, saying “everyone was on the edge of their sea...

The Class of 2020’s long-anticipated Ring Premiere occurred on the evening of October 9th. Juniors flocked towards Burruss Hall where a light projected the class logo: a V inside a T, with two lines intersecting the V creating the number 20 in Roman numerals. Inside Burruss, the auditorium buzzed as students filled its seats and watched a slideshow of class pictures and memories. The Virginia Tech Regimental Band, “the Highty Tighties,” kicked off the night, followed by the Presentation of Colors by Corps color guard. The night consisted of insightful notes from Ring Collection Namesake, University Distinguished Professor, and acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, as well as wise words from Class Sponsor Major General Randal D. Fullhart (USAF Ret.). Giovanni, the first person of color to become a class ring collection namesake at VT, spoke about giving back to the Virginia Tech community; she said we all have something to give. Fullhart, Corps of Cadets Commandant, motivated J...