We are Virginia Tech: Chris Eyestone

As Virginia Tech marks the 10-year commemoration of April 16, 2007, members of our community are sharing their reflections. We recognize these words may bring forth personal memories of the tragedy that affected our campus so deeply. While these posts serve as a reflection rather than a recounting, be aware that they may contain potentially distressing material. 

Today, to round out our week of reflections, hear from Chris Eyestone, a senior at Virginia Tech and Blacksburg native.

“No one deserves a tragedy.” 

Goosebumps crawled up my arms, married with emotions of confusion, vulnerability, anger, and sadness as the powerful words of Nikki Giovanni’s poetry echoed about the concourse of Cassell Coliseum during the University Convocation ceremony. I clutched my mom’s hands as tightly as possible. It was April 17th, 2007.

Ten years ago, this quaint, beautiful, quiet, peaceful place beloved by so many was violated.  Students, faculty, staff, friends, family, and community members huddled, crying together and trying to understand the unimaginable. My sixth-grade classmates and I hid under tables during Blacksburg Middle School’s mandatory lockdown resulting from the events on campus.  Why couldn’t we turn on the news? Why were blinds drawn to obfuscate our view of police cruisers outside? Why couldn’t we breathe? Were our parents and loved ones safe? The confusion and worry continued.

As a Blacksburg native with intimate ties to the university, the word “Hokie” has been a part of my vocabulary for as long as I can remember. “This place is special,” my parents would say, “unlike any place we have ever lived”. I never fully appreciated why this community was so very special. To me, Blacksburg was familiar and filled with natural beauty but surely there are other places in this world that are beautiful too, right? 

On April 17th, 2007, I finally understood.

Unbeknownst to those affected, a light was beginning to shine out from the shadows. This light would come to define the Hokie Nation as one of the strongest and most resilient communities on planet Earth.  Born out of the darkness was a community determined not to be defined by this tragedy, but to remain together, to build new and lasting bonds, to find strength in community, and to do our level best to ensure no community ever feels alone in tragedy again.

It was in the impromptu Hokie Stone memorial in front of Burruss Hall, the vigils, the white boards lining every inch of the Drillfield telling heart-felt messages from classmates, friends, and fellow Hokies alike. “Sing, dance, and shine bright in heaven as you did here on Earth,” one passage read. My family and I spelled out messages to our dear neighbor whose light was extinguished far too soon along with 29 other souls in Norris Hall.

A great deal occurs over the span of 10 years. Since that blustery Monday in April 2007, Virginia Tech has led the way in campus safety and security, setting an important example for our nation and the global community. Now, as an undergraduate myself at Virginia Tech and Chief of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, my perspective evolved in unexpected ways. The Virginia Tech Rescue Squad’s undergraduate volunteer members were the first medical personnel to respond to both West Ambler Johnston and Norris Halls. Alongside numerous community responders, these individuals acted quickly and bravely in reducing any further loss of life. 

As the passage of time continues and my fellow Hokies and I grow to serve the global community in innovative ways, one thing remains an important constant as a local, a Virginia Tech student, and a member of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad: this unique and resilient community experience turns minds on and makes hearts whole. This is home.