Ft. Hood Shooting links back to Virginia Tech

Washington Post Article - With Fort Hood, Virginia Tech confronts link to another tragedy

The recent mass shooting at Fort Hood Army Base allegedly by Nidal M. Hasan, a 1995 Virginia Tech graduate,  brings Virginia Tech back to the forefront of media coverage of violent tragedies. Virginia Tech has been a community that has been devastated by campus tragedies over the past 3 years. The April 16th, 2007 shootings followed by the beheading of a graduate student on campus in January of 2009 leads some to think that Virginia Tech might be cursed by these repetitive acts of violence.  With the alleged Ft. Hood shooter being an alumnus as well, this only reinforces this theory for some. For myself and probably thousands of other Virginia Tech students it is quite the contrary belief.

For most students who first set foot on the campus nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of SW Virginia, they instantly realize what special places Virginia Tech and the community Blacksburg are. Ever since the April 16th school shootings, these communities have shown their immense resilience which now embodies the persona of Virginia Tech. After each heartfelt campus tragedy, the students, faculty, and townspeople have all come together to mourn and support each other, then eventually bounce back and continue on. The students remember their colleagues that have been lost on this campus and embody their spirit everyday when returning to class and eventually graduating.

Persistence and resilience are the qualities that allow the students to survive these seemingly continual tragedies and remain with a positive outlook towards Virginia Tech. With each violent act that is linked to Virginia Tech, the media will continue to reinforce the negative image associated with the Univeristy, but the students are the ones who ultimately will let hope prevail in Blacksburg and bring back the safe, friendly atmosphere to the VT campus, that should be what it is like to be a student at any college or university, a safe learning environment.

Wash Post Profile

Click below to read a profile of Derek from the Washington Post titled “Deceptively Strong”

A good read that is great profile of Derek.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/14/ST2008041403147.html

Meeting with President Obama

On President Barack Obama’s campaign trail, he stopped by Roanoke, Virginia and met with many of the VT students who were injured in the shootings. President Obama discussed some of the important issues relative to school shootings such as gun control, mental health awareness, and school safety. Here is President Obama with Derek and his girlfriend Laura.

Graduating from Virginia Tech

This past May I finally earned my Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech. After four long and at sometimes tumultous years, I have finished my undergraduate degree. Even with the tragedy that occured during my Sophomore year, I still immensely enjoyed my time here in Blacksburg and on campus. As I graduate it is somewhat bittersweet. Normally a joyous and relieving occasion, at my graduation I couldn’t help but think of my classmates and the other students and professors who were killed that could not be there on that day and what a Blessing it was for me to make it this far. I find that persistence is a word I often find myself using when describing either myself or the community that helped and continues to help in the healing process. Without my family, my girlfriend Laura, my friends, and the amazing people that are Hokies, I know that making it to graduation would have been seemingly impossible. For those people and everyone else that helped along the way, I am forever thankful. There is no doubt in my mind, that as I and the other survivors of the tragedy graduate and move on, that we will always cherish those memories we shared with our classmates and professors whose lives were lost.

Now I move on in pursuing my goal of becoming a veterinarian as I begin classes at the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Fortunately enough for me, the veterinary school is located adjacent to the main campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, so not too big of change location wise.

Planet Blacksburg Story on Book

This is a story about We Will Prevail featuring Derek and Rob from Planet Blacksburg, Virginia Tech’s student news source.

http://www.planetblacksburg.com/2008/04/feature-survivor-plans-next-move.php

Derek in Sling

Derek on the phone a week after the shooting with his dog Dallas curled up next to him