KNews's Blog

 The sun rose around 6:20 this morning here at Virginia Tech. There's something very interesting about the way the sun comes up every day. It never fails. There are times when we may not be able to see it because it's blocked by clouds. But it's still there. Even on the cloudiest, rainest day... the sun came up somewhere.

It's kind of like that here on campus. Hokies always rise. They've risen for about 130 years, every day. On April 16, 2007 just after 9 in the morning, conditions grew darker than they had ever been. But by 9 the next night a light began to rise. Hokie students, faculty, and alumni stood at the center of the Drillfield and lifted candles into the air. In standing together and chanting "Hokies! Hokies!..." the community was lifted by its unity.

Today, that same Hokie spirit will be on display. There will be tears. You can not honor and celebrate the 32 people lost a year ago, without remembering how they were killed. The violence is a part of the memory. The memories still bring pain. But with somber faces and heavy hearts, across Blacksburg, Virginia, and the world, Hokies will prove once again the power of the Hokie spirit to always break through the clouds.