February tips for families

“I found the solution!” This is a statement everyone loves to hear when they are met with a challenge. Immediately, one starts to feel a sense of relief, even before hearing the resolution. That heavy weight of frustration or sometimes doubt, that leads to anxiety, is lifted. This is how I have felt in the past when I encountered a student who said, “I do not feel like Virginia Tech is the place for me.” I cannot report that I’ve found the solution to this challenge, but I do have a suggestion for students who find themselves in this place.

Most of us enjoy being in places where we feel comfortable. This can be difficult when one leaves their home and enters a new community with people who may think, act, look, learn, speak, and perhaps worship differently than they are accustomed. College is the perfect opportunity to form new and different perspectives. This is a great chance to get outside of the box and for students to do something they have never tried before. Meet someone new! It can be a little frightening, but the reward is definitely worth the risk. Virginia Tech offers events and programming seven days a week and most can be found at GobblerConnect. These opportunities offer students the chance to talk to new people and create lasting bonds. Encourage your student to connect with someone different.

Getting to know people who are different from us provides an opportunity to hear different perspectives, better understand our own belief system, and develop relationships across differences. This is what belonging is all about! Please take a moment and learn about our efforts in Inclusion & Belonging. With our encouragement, students who didn’t achieve their goal of meeting new people in the fall, will find overwhelming success this spring. 

I wish you and your student a very happy and productive 2023.

Anthony Scott
Chief Inclusion & Belonging Officer