I dedicate this entire blog entry to some of the most fantastic and dedicated people I know that came along for the trek: Scinju, Steven, Ben, Weston, Parke, Max, Joe, Kate, Sarah, Karen ( <– especially these guys for doing the bulk of carrying me!) Julianne, Olivia, Heather, Kristen, Zahra, Helen, KH, and the whole University Relations Team (if I missed anyone please let me know).
Ut prosim. Virginia Tech’s motto. In Latin, it means “That I may serve.” Ask yourself for a moment: what does that statement REALLY mean to you? What does “That I may serve” really mean? Is there one word that has more meaning than another?
For me, the most important word in that motto, recently, has been “may.” I’ve realized that in so many ways we are so privileged to be well-positioned to help one another. It’s important to understand that we may not be able to help everyone all the time, but that more often than not, most people in my life are privileged enough, in so many ways, to be able to help someone else.
This weekend, my friends did a beautiful job of really maximizing on their ability to serve someone else. I’ve realized, over the years, that those people that I become closest to are typically those that enable me in some way. Yes, I might have a disability, I may be unable to walk, however that doesn’t mean that I can’t do a lot of the same things that I could do if I was able-bodied.
At Virginia Tech, there is this thing called the Hokie Bucket List. It’s a collection of 72 events/items that you should do as a Hokie. It doesn’t necessarily have to be before you gradaute (it can take you months or years or more), but they are the 72 essential true Hokie activities that you should do as a Hokie at any point in your life.
Months ago, the university published the inaugural edition of a publication called “The Path Forward” through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In this article, which chronicled a lot of my leadership and personal experiences from 2008-2012 as an undergraduate at VT, they were kind enough to give me the unofficial title of “The Ultimate Hokie.” Fast forward a few months and a close friend of mine, Scinju, and I were socializing. The article comes up in the conversation as does the Bucket List. Scinju says, “you’re the Ultimate Hokie and you haven’t seen the beauty that is the Cascades?”
Scinju promptly offered to round up some strong friends and I agreed to the plan. We would hike me, sans wheelchair, to the top of one of the most need-to-see landmarks in Southwest Virginia. Likely to mark my first and only experience of the Cascades.
Not only did Scinju and some fellow cadet members come along for the trip, but I decided to make a Facebook event for the trip, also, to recruit some other friends. An idea that Scinju and I had concocted months before finally had a date: December 1st, 2012.
The hike went great. Along the way, we were constantly revising the design of the cot, trading off, and trying different techniques of carrying the cot to maximize on everyone’s energy. I was so proud, as I got to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this 2 mile (one-way) hike, that I had friends that were willing to not only take a TON of time out of their day (it was a 2 hour or so hike, I believe) but to give me their bodies and energy to get me to the top of a mountain. How much more “Ut Prosim” can you get then carrying a man to the top of a mountain? Seriously. Tell me. I don’t think you can!
Here are some pictures along the hike. Thanks to a colleague, Heather, for taking some great photos and posting them so quickly!
I made the Facebook event a public event to try and garner as much support as possible. This was how Virginia Tech University Relations found out about the hike and so they e-mailed me to see if I would mind if they came along for the hike. Of course, I did NOT mind. I was so thankful that they found this event worthy enough to come document. They took, what I assume to be, hundreds of photos and a lot of video that they will make into a spot for the university’s website. #AWESOME!
Well…now, I can proudly say that I have accomplished #10 of the 18 ‘essential items’ on the Hokie Bucket list, “Hike the Cascades (even better when the Cascades are frozen!).” I am also very proud that there are 72 items total, and I have completed 65 of them! That’s 87 percent of the way to having completed the entire Hokie Bucket list. These are the ones that I have not yet completed:
18. Rush Worsham Field after a big win!!
28. Hike to McAfee Knob and get your picture on the edge
29. Hike Dragon’s Tooth
40. Get together with a group of friends for a football game and paint your stomachs or chests maroon and orange
49. Find all the gargoyles on campus (14 total)
60. Check out a bike from Venture Out and go for a ride
68. Take a picture with the biggest VT on campus (Upper Quad)
I encourage you to get started on crossing some off of your own Hokie Bucket List! You can register here or print out a paper version to get started!
Also, Ben is a genius. hindsight is 20/20, as Max said. This is how we REALLY should’ve done it:
But in all seriousness. I am so thankful, grateful, and honored to be friends with some of the best Hokies in the world. I’ll be sure to post the video on here (likely on the left side bar as a staple on the blog) when University Relations wraps it up.
