Lights shining bright

It was amazing to see how many people had been touched by what happened the year before.

-Johnna Duncan, Photographer

A Guiding Light

The vigil was stunning. Seeing so many people come out to honor those who perished this time last year is just amazing. The sight of all those candles tonight would have restored even the Grinch’s faith in humanity.

It seemed as if the entire city of Blacksburg came out to Drillfield. Even after seeing the amazing unity and support among the residents, it still blows my mind how together they are.

The students and residents were so much more eloquent than I could ever hope to be, especially after such as terrible tragedy. Nothing I could say tonight, or ever, could do the Hokie spirit justice.

-Katie Jones, Staff Writer

The 32

The vigil began tonight at 8:20 p.m. in the Drillfield, a massive field in the middle of campus. Hundreds upon hundreds of people came in maroon and orange to honor those who died. As the sun set, everyone picked up candles from the nearby tables and moved towards the memorial site. As the ceremony began, a hush fell over the crowd. A short inspirational speech took place and then each name of the 32 who died was read aloud to the crowd as a candle was lit for them. The candles were then passed around in complete silence, until the entire crowd had a burning flame. I was in utter shock of so many things at this point. Up until then, I had been so stressed and busy that I honestly didn’t have time to take it all in. They showed such compassion, dignity, respect, and grief, that I was truly in awe. The candles lit together with the perfectly clear, perfectly starry night….it was absolutely breathtaking.

As the music ended and everyone raised their candles to salute and started chanting “Go Hokies,” it made me think about a lot. It made me think of everyone in my life and how you should never wait to tell someone how important they are or how much you love them. It made me think how life is short, and as cliche as it is, to make sure to live it up. It made me realize that I should truly not take a moment for granted, because I can’t control what’s going to happen, so I might as well make the best of it. But more than anything, it made me have even more respect, which I didn’t think was possible, for the Hokies of Virginia Tech.

-Liz Segrist, Assistant News Editor

The Vigil

As we prepare to go to the vigil tonight, it is hard to believe that the shooting happened a year ago.

I think the vigil will be more like what I have been expecting from the trip—people mourning the students and faculty that died. There really is no way to prepare for this kind of thing.

It’s been a busy couple of days for us. We’ve talked to a lot of people in Blacksburg and even more students at Virginia Tech.  It’s a humbling experience to witness other people’s grief at a tragedy this horrendous.

-Katie Jones, Staff Writer

Hokie Colors: Orange and Maroon

From 5 p.m., again, internet woes….

I experienced broadcast journalism at its finest this afternoon and it is definitely very different from print. I have a new respect for broadcast journalists because the ability to think on your feet so quickly is impressive. I met some people from CBS who were very friendly and who helped to prep me. I was extremely nervous and stumbled a bit (OK, I said the wrong school colors), but in the end, it was a good experience. Hey, everyone has to start somewhere.

Our trip is coming to a close soon as we finish editing and writing everything. Tonight, we will attend the candlelit vigil. I’ve been so busy today I have hardly realized how sad this event will be. I can’t even fathom how hard it will be for the students and family members here who lost loved ones. I’m only beginning to skim the surface of understanding their pain and anger at their losses. My heart goes out to the Hokies.

-Liz Segrist, Assistant News Editor

The City of Blacksburg

From 1 p.m. (Sorry, the internet has been sporadic).

Ed & I walked around Blacksburg earlier today. The city has small shops lining the streets; it is very charming and very clean. As he shot video, I went in and out of stores attempting to get interviews. I found that storeowners were more receptive to the media than students, but not much more so. I had an awkward encounter when I interviewed a nice man at his art gallery, and he thought I was there to interview him about his famous artwork, it took awhile to sort that one out. I was so surprised to hear that he believes the town is over it. I then received the polar opposite perspective from a woman who owns a clothing store. I was enraptured with her story about her experiences on that day. Then, we spent the entire day filming, taking pictures, and writing, writing, writing. Around noon, Jackie called me asking if we could do a short televised interview with WLTX for the folks back in Columbia. I am a print journalist for a reason: nervousness is an understatement.

-Liz Segrist, Assistant News Editor

United

A sea of maroon and orange…united in memory of those lost a year earlier.

-Johnna Duncan, photographer

From Tragedy, Comes Unity

I’m sitting in front of the Virginia Tech student union working on an article. An event just ended, one of many, commemorating the students and faculty lives that were lost one year ago today.

Hundreds of people are walking by me, I would say 95% of them are in maroon and orange. Babies and elderly people are here, along with all the students. Some people brought along their dogs.

It is an amazing show of solidarity and community. It’s a sad fact that it is often a tragedy that brings people together.

It’s hard to imagine the chaos that was occurring here one year ago today.

-Katie Jones, Staff Writer

The One Year Anniversary

We wake up, slightly later than expected after an exhausting day, to begin day two of our trip. Here it is: the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. As we settle in at a local breakfast nook, it becomes apparent that the students don’t have school today. Already, there are many people gathering, decked out in their orange and maroon. Some are laughing, some look somber, and some are consoling others. More media trucks are appearing, and we are anticipating the thousands upon thousands of people who will attend to mourn, to report, and to heal.

-Liz Segrist, Assistant News Editor

A New Experience

A week ago I wasn’t sure if I was going to be going on this trip. Heck, a few days ago I still wasn’t sure. My name is Ed Cahill. I am here putting together some video work for everyone to see back home. It was important for me to come because I feel that seeing some moving images might help everyone connect with what’s going on here better.

I definitely know that actually being here on campus has given me a new feeling for what these people had to experience just one year ago. It is amazing to see the fire that is still in people’s eyes when they talk about the shootings, where they were, and what they did. I talked to one guy today about the freshman who came to school this year. He said they will never know what it felt like to be there on that day, and we too will never be able to understand what those students and their families went through on that day.

I hope that some of the information we are sending back to you can help you realize what these students are still going through. Today, as we were a year ago, we are all Hokies.

-Ed Cahill, producer of Capital City Sports