This week’s recharge ride was a shorter solo ride to wrap up a busy week. The playlist I put on was “VT Crew,” (see People Playlists) because my friend group from Virginia Tech was front and center on my mind after helping some family friends for the last few weeks.
VT Crew is a group of friends, about of half of us went to high school together in Richmond, and the rest were college additions. This group survived the many trials of college, and has further survived the test of time, as evidenced by our occasional reunions (the last one in 2018 when most of us were hitting the 50 landmark) and by our ongoing “VT Crew” text thread.
When I took my son to tour colleges, I remember a guide saying “you can make a big college small, but you can’t make a small college big.” I nodded vigorously, thinking of my VT Crew. That is exactly what they did, at a state college of 25,000 students. The bigness of VT meant it had a lot to offer and a lot for us to be exposed to and to learn. But my VT Crew brought the smallness. The closeness. The laughs during the highs. And the support during the lows.
I can’t imagine high school and college without this group. The lowest point in my life came in the fall semester of my sophomore year at college. And that exactly coincided with the period that I was most detached from this group.
We have been helping family friends whose son is struggling in college. And everything I heard about his situation reminded me of my sophomore year. He’s half a country away from his family, and I’m encouraging him to lean on his friends at school. They can be the safety net that catches you.
VT Crew, I love you all! And I am ever grateful for the bond we have. 🤗💗