Pretty small group for my last session of the summer!!
Gonna try out some new jokes on em :)
Push Girls
I’m not that big of a TV watcher – or at least I try to be. I’m very honest about my obsession with Food Network (because I love to cook) as well as ESPN (especially during football season), but I don’t usually get into reality TV that much. Two of my favorite shows, definitely have been Weeds and 24 over the years. This summer, I’ve had a ton more free time on my hands than normal, so I’ve decided to try and check out a few new shows.
I’ve been meaning to watch Arrested Development for a while, and after hearing that they are beginning to shoot a fourth season this week (the show was cancelled off of Fox, after three seasons many years ago), I’m definitely going to have to catch up with that by Netflix Watch Instant.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine decided to let me know about this new show from the Sundance channel, called Push Girls. It’s a reality show following the lives of four adult-aged ladies in wheelchairs, and how they live their lives and go through everyday challenges, as well as some really cool challenges – like one girl is a hip-hop dancer.
I’m really impressed by the show, because usually people view individuals in a wheelchair with a little bit of a stigma – at least that’s been the case with a majority of the strangers that I encounter on a day to day basis. but this show is pretty unique because they are really showcasing them being independent and the challenges that they go through.
Impressed, definitely. Check it out if you want – I use a website called Project Free TV for a majority of my online television needs, you should check it out. Go through the links – but I would definitely recommend getting some anti-virus or…you know, using a Mac. :)
Enjoy!
Living out my dreams.
This morning, I woke up. Read Hokie football news for about an hour. And in the process of procrastinating everything else I should have been doing, like going to the grocery store, the gym, and taking my dog outside to use the bathroom, I got obsessed with Today’s Google Doodle, which is in honor of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
It’s quite addicting – and I wanted to try my best to get the three stars, which means you have to get under 12 seconds. After multiple attempts I am proud to post…
Continuing my role as an ambassador.
This fall I’ll have the opportunity to engage in a ton of opportunities. One of my mentors, Linda Hazelwood who has been my advisor and friend throughout my time as a Hokie Ambassador, has always encouraged me to become a motivational speaker. I’ll really be able to flex those muslces through two separate opportunities this fall, which I am stoked about.
Campus Ambassador Conference Keynote Speaker
November 2nd & 3rd, 2012, sponsored by
Hokie Ambassadors, the campus tour guides of Virginia Tech
TEDx Virginia Tech, an independently organized TED Event
As I’ve previously blogged, I’ll also have the opportunity to present about the Winning Choices program in the Montgomery County Public Schools system and about my experiences at Virginia Tech as they relate to the Actively Caring for People program that will begin in their schools in their fall.
Wish me luck, and let me know if you’d be
interested in attending either of these events!
Of course, as I have the honor to participate in
more events, I’ll post the information here. :)
Greensboro Trip | July 31
I’ve already blogged about it a little bit but I wanted to take the time to talk about my Greensboro trip to North Carolina last week. I went on the trip as a favor to the Undergraduate Admissions office that I work for here at Tech.
The trip was eye opening and fun – and not the least bit stressful – I’ve done several trips for things like the Yates Project, which are smaller college presentations at individual schools, as well as information sessions in the office, and lastly campus tours around Blacksburg. However, I’ve never travelled to a college fair where other colleges were also present, so it was really fun to be able to have this new experience.
It also happened to be completely by chance that a good friend of mine, Peter Velz, was also in town in Greensboro. He has been doing varying levels of work for the White House since he graduated a year before me, and he was so gracious to hook me up with a lot of opportunities over the past few months. It’s always nice because Peter isn’t one of those people who I really assumed I would keep in touch with after graduation, but we talk at least weekly, especially because we’ve both been afforded really cool opportunities to meet up every so often – like for Commencement, and for a political rally that Mrs. Obama’s team was planning in Greensboro, for the night after my visit to Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
So I headed down to Greensboro and had a really great fair, a majority of which I already reflected on. I felt kinda VIP in the first place because back in the winter my mom encouraged me to become an Intercontinental Ambassador and Priority Club member, which I took her advice on of course. It ended up giving me “Priority Club” status at a lot of hotels, included the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, which I was staying at for the trip to try and rack up some points. I walk in with Charlotte and the lady is like, “Excuse me, sir, we don’t accept pets.” I delivered the ever-famous line,
“Ma’am, she’s not a pet. She’s a service animal.”
After making a few awkward glances and requesting papers – I informed her that it’s actually against ADA law to ask a disabled individual for papers documenting the fact that your pet is a service animal. She promptly recanted, and gave me the key for my room, after thanking me for being a priority club, and referring to me as Mr. Like takin’ candy from a baby.
That night, after the fair, I had dinner at the hotel with Char, and then went to meet up with Peter, who was setting up for the rally the next day. After he showed me around UNCG’s basketball stadium where it was being held, we left to go ‘out on the town’ for a bit.
After stopping by his beautiful hotel, we headed to Wendy’s and then to Cookout, and then back to the hotel to enjoy some time at the bar. If I learned one thing from this trip? Don’t do the Watermelon milkshake at Cookout. Yes, it’s seasonal, and yes it’s different, but my taste buds just weren’t pleased.
I headed back to the hotel, after a long sleepless night from the night before because Charlotte had been acting funny, and was pumped to relaxed in the over-sized hotel bed. The next morning, I woke up and sat by the pool for a little bit, took a quick dip, and then got packed up and ready to go to the rally.
The highlight of my trip, aside from the students that made a mark on me (like the student who approached my booth with a full on resume, as a 10th grader, and declared her interest in Mechanical Engineering program – which was startling seeing as most freshman aren’t even sure what branch of engineering they’d like to begin in!) was the fact that Mrs. Obama actually remembered me! I felt really VIP rolling up to the event without a ticket and being able to be wisked in. :) The rally was interesting – although I’m not a big fan of politics, I did accept the rally for what it was – an event to get the community excited about voting for President Obama.
When leaving the rally, I had a few really cool experiences:
- I ran into a girl who saw that I was wearing a Virginia Tech alumni t-shirt. She mentioned that she had just graduated from Sweet Briar, a school from which a friend of mine from high school just graduated – and I had actually just seen that friend at a bar in downtown Fredericksburg. So that was pretty cool.
- I walked by a White House staffer in the hallway, and just because I was wearing my Virginia Tech alumni shirt, a lady turned around and said “Go Hokies, right!?” That was after there was an Obama volunteer that decided to let me know was a cavalier. Cool.
- There was a police officer, in an unmarked car (a KIA at that!! WTF), who was putting a cooler of water into the car. And so – it was hot – so I decided to ask him for a bottle of water. After he hands over the water, and I return the favor with an Actively Caring bracelet, what does he say? Go. Hokies.
Best Hokie football trailer so far.
If this doesn’t get you pumped for the Georgia Tech game, I’m pretty sure nothing will…
‘Nuff said.
You probably already know that.
It’s been a crazy busy week. I’ve been flying solo for the most part, and taking each day as it comes with less sleep than I’d like. The best part of my week, thus far, however was certainly the trip that I took to Greensboro this week. It was for a college fair at Mount Zion Baptist Church of Greensboro. The fair was open to the public, not just the church’s community (of over 5,000 – YES, a 5,000 member church), so we got students of all races, all ages, all personalities, all different kinds of families. It was fantastic. And EXTREMELY rewarding.
I have a running to do list going in my phone of certain things from the event that I would like to blog about – you know, things like the fact that it was my first real Admissions visit, travelling, completely 1:1 with all of these steudnets – that was nerve-racking in and of itself.
But there was one thing that just completely rubbed me the wrong way, and part of the reason that I haven’t decided to blog about the fantastic trip just yet, is very unfrotunately because of the comments that one lady made to me.
A woman, a mother without her children I’d assume, is walking through the common areas where all of the colleges have their tables set up. She was one of the first people that I interacted with, as far as people who weren’t staffing the event and helped me get set up. She turns and looks at my table –
and says, “Oh, Virginia Tech? That’s where all those people got shot up right? Well – no way am I sending my children there.”
She promptly walks away.
Even typing those words – giving them the light of day on MY website – really rubs me the wrong way. But I think it’s necsesary. I think it’s as necessary to share those words with you, because I know that most likely if you are reading this, that does not define our university. You probably already know that.
Our university is defined by things that bring us together – everything from Hokie Football on a Saturday, to the 3.2 for 32, to the largest school shooting in history, to Steppin’ Out this weekend, to an 8 a.m. on the Drillfield, the Relay for Life, to gathering at the pylons to remember a fallen student, the Corps’ Pass in Review ceremony and their numerous traditions, to a Wiz Khalifa concert in Burruss Hall, to office pot lucks, to tubing down the New River together, to eating at the Homeplace, to navigating the endless construction around campus….THE LIST IS ENDLESS. Our university comes togehter more powerfully and more meaningfully, in my humble HOKIE opinion, than any other university or community in this nation. We truly are a big university with a small, family feel to our town. Why? Because we don’t let such horrible things define us. We speak up against them, and show people what being a Hokie is about – we don’t let them walk over us like that. Especially not with words.
Sadly, though… me? I didn’t have that opportunity. She was out of the door as soon as possible. Very quickly, turned around, and booked it – hopefully because she was ashamed of what she said. And, If I’m being honest, in retrospect I am quite thankful for that. I’m not sure what passionate, spirited remark I would have made in reply.
But as I left Greensboro yesterday, I was torn. Is this what that community thinks of us? Did I not do a good enough job of reaching out to them and showing them not only what my university is about, but what I am about as an individual? That the reason I chose to go to this great school was to make sure that people understood that community is greater than the individual?
This morning, I woke up to an e-mail in my inbox, after I charged my phone. I’m goign to paste the comments below. It made me feel justified. It made me feel like, by dealing with that interaction in a positive way, that actions spoke louder than words. I don’t care if it’s a cliche – and if your’e reading this, you probably already know that I don’t like cliches. But actions, and the way you carry self, will always carry more weight than anything that may come out of your mouth verbally.
This community in Blacksburg, just like the community in Greensboro that hosted all of us university’s and made us a full meal to follow –
– the most hospitable college visit I’ve ever engaged in, fair or not! – is a great one.
Re: Mount Zion College Fair, Greensboro, NC – July 31, 5-8pm
Justin,
You were absolutely amazing yesterday!!
Thank you again for your committment to our kids, for fighting through the challenges, and most of all being a living testimony that the biggest limitation one can have is not the physical but rather the belief in yourself and the willingness and committment to overcome!!
On behalf of the our leaders, Bishop George W. Brooks & Youth Pastor, Pastor Deon Clark, Mt Zion and the greater Greensboro commmunity has forever been changed for the better becuase you came!!!
Thank You and I look forward to seeing you again next year!!!!
What a reminder, right? That even though I’ve spent a large part dwelling on that lady – that being such a large part of memory of my first Admissions visit. Along comes the director of the fair, reminding me, that focusing on optimism really changes things. Her e-mail made interacting with that lady…worth it.
