April 16th at Virginia Tech & The Memorial

The original Hokie Stone memorial to commemorate the lives lost on April 16th, 2007. An idea from a student leader(My roommate, Ryan) - the 32 stones taken from a construction site on campus without permission, arranged in a semicircle and placed at the center of our beautiful and broken campus on the night of the tragedy. Quickly, community members began to claim each stone for a victim and flowers, notes, and remembrances surrounded each one. It became our place to grieve, reflect, and remember.

As Student Body President at the time, sitting on many of the committees dedicated to the recovery and remembrance after the tragedy - I remember campus leaders wondering aloud what would become of the temporary memorial. Wondering whether a more permanent memorial built less central to the campus would be more appropriate as the community moved forward.

But no one would have entertained the idea, and why would we? Every student who has or will attend Virginia Tech should be reminded of of the 32 Hokies we lost on April 16th - they are forever a part of who we are and share with us their strength. Center to our campus and center to our hearts and minds. An updated version of the original stones became the permanent memorial, perfectly positioned to mimic the original design. The memorial, much like the significance of this day reminds us of the commitment we make to those 32 lives lost on April 16th as Hokies. We strive to be better citizens, professionals, volunteers, and innovators for 32. To be more compassionate, kind, and caring for 32. And 12 years later, we continue to live for 32. Sending all my love to my Hokie family today. #livefor32