Finding community at the intersection of technology and the arts

Why did you choose Virginia Tech?

I originally heard about Virginia Tech because my brother went here. I visited him a couple of times and I loved the campus, and I really wanted to come here because of the focus on technology. I am an art major, but I wanted to incorporate that with a technology-based approach, so I thought Virginia Tech would be the best of both worlds where I could have an arts community but also be able to pull some of the technology background in. I feel like there’s a different approach to art here, not separated from STEM but incorporated together, through software and tools, and in big ideas. We can ask questions like where does art and technology meet, where do we find ourselves in that mix, and what is the future of fine arts in a technology-based society? All of these big themes are easy to explore here.

What’s your major, and what got you into that field of study?

My major is Creative Technologies, and I’m looking to minor in computer science. I went to an arts high school and experienced a lot of classical art, learning about art history, painting, drawing, all of these traditional mediums. Because I had this classical art background and because I saw myself going into a society and career that was very technology-based and very modern, I considered what the intersection of that is. I have always been fascinated by these digital tools and these different ways of thinking about art, and so it stemmed from the desire to explore that further in college.

You asked to do this interview in this building - Pritchard Hall. Why is this building important to you?

Last year, my first year at Tech, I struggled a lot with making friends and finding a community. I’m an extroverted person, so that was very hard for me, but this year I’ve really been able to find that community and this building kind of represents that for me – finding a group of friends and a place where I belong. I decided to become an RA because I wanted to help other students that experience the same struggle I did their first year find that sense of community and belonging that I now have!

Since entering college, what have you learned about yourself?

I’ve learned that I am a very people-focused, extroverted person that thrives when I have a solid community around me. This helps me to know what career paths to pursue and to seek out opportunities that connect me with others and help me use my artistic gifts in service of a broader group of people that I can grow and belong with.

What's your favorite thing about living in Studio 72?

For me, it is the openness and how people are very understanding of one another. Everyone is very artistic and sees the world in a very different way, but it’s really interesting how this community rallies behind those differences and embraces them. It includes such different, unique individuals all working together and understanding each other. It’s a really great, inclusive community!

What's the best piece of advice you have ever received from a professor?

I have been struggling lately wondering what I want to do, what my career will be, and just feeling very uncertain about my path in life overall. So I spoke to one of my favorite professors from last year, and rather than helping me look into careers or adjust my four-year schedule or anything like that, the very first thing he said to me is to let go of the stress of an uncertain future and to trust that I’m going to end up where I’m meant to be. Everything will work itself out and what I need to focus my energy on is what’s happening now, what’s happening in the moment, rather than stressing about an uncertain future. I think that’s especially important now, with everything going on in the world, we all need to be adaptable and what we think is happening in the future could completely turn around in an hour, you really never know what is going to happen. So I think focusing your energy in the moment and what’s happening around you rather than lingering on the future or the past is the best piece of advice I’ve ever received.

What advice would you have for other students to Virginia Tech?

I thought a lot about last year and how much I struggled and really tried to pinpoint why, and I realized that I had come into college with so many expectations of what I thought college should be. One of the reasons why I came to Virginia Tech was because I wanted the “classic college experience” – but what does that mean? You grow up seeing a lot of things in movies and TV shows about college life and college students and you start to formulate an idea in your head of how college should be and what kind of things you should be doing, but when you get to college it’s completely different – you never know how it’s going to go! So I think being willing to change or let go of your expectations really helps you adapt to what’s actually happening around you. Last year as soon as I stopped focusing on what I thought college should be, I started being able to experience college for what it was. Be open to what happens and don’t be caught up in your expectations of what should be happening!