The Hokie Nation Thanks You

Through the fear, the tears and support of the Hokie community, yesterday was a day of confusion and tragedy. Our solemn campus was struck with tragedy again and as we went through the day, everything seemed to be a blur.  What we consider perfection was altered, maybe even broken.  What others may have called broken, we can say has made us stronger.  The tears that have flowed from our eyes were not tears of fear but tears of sadness.  We have prevailed once, we will prevail again.  We are not just a University but a community, what we Hokies call, “Hokie Nation.”  We are family.  We are friends.  We are brothers and sisters.  And some of us haven’t met, but in times of tragedy, we can say we are one, we are Virginia Tech.  Through the support of our community and others all over the nation, it has made everyone a Hokie today.        
 
Between wall posts, texts, messages, tweets, voicemails and “likes” on my Facebook page, 63 people contacted me today to see if I was safe and to tell me Virginia Tech was in their prayers.  That right there left me speechless.  Writing this right now I can’t put into words how thankful I am for everyone and their support.  My parents were calling me telling me people they work with were calling them asking if I was ok and if everything at Tech was ok. The kind messages of others has shined more than the words that were stated by those that wanted to break us.  The love of the other schools and the support of people from all over this nation has been immensely appreciated by our school. I know that our Social Media chair was very touched by reading all of the support put out by the other Her Campus branches. I can’t speak for the whole Hokie community, but I can say that every prayer that was said and every kind word that was written has impacted us in a way that I can’t describe.  So in saying all of this, I can conclude with these words….
 

Within the four years I have been here, I have not for a minute wanted to be anywhere else.  The memories here are priceless, but that doesn’t go without saying the people here at Tech make those memories, they are the foundation.  We have been through many up’s and down’s on this campus, but it hasn’t torn us.  We won’t let this incident break us.  We will prevail for Officer Crouse because that is what he would want us to do.  His life was taken and shall never be forgotten.  God displayed a wonderful sunset this evening that gave us a glimpse into the Heavens, as if it was telling us Officer Crouse is peacefully watching us.  The support of others is the building blocks that help us rise and protect us in these hard times.  Without the support, it would not be the same.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for all the support my school is receiving.  You all have become Hokies today.  And like we like to say here at Tech, “once a Hokie, always a Hokie.”
 
To the family and friends of Officer Crouse, our condolences are with you.  Officer Crouse was a father, husband, son, uncle, a friend and a Hokie.  He will forever be remembered for his bravery and the love he exuded for our school.  Each day he came to work to protect us from harm.  His life may have been taken, but his memory and our appreciativeness will forever live on.  God Bless and rest in peace.