"THISJUSTIN"
Breaking News on My Leadership Experience
Virginia Tech Homecoming
2014 Homecoming Court
Homecoming Court at the spirit rally
My sponsoring organization, Alpha Phi
Virginia Tech Homecoming is a special tradition here in Blacksburg and being selected to be on the Homecoming Court was an incredibly remarkable and unforgettable experience. This experience was unique because it let me celebrate the past four years of being a leader around campus and being able to serve with 15 other strong, talented, and incredible leaders.
After being selected to be on the Homecoming Court in April, the meetings and planning began, starting with selecting campaign slogans that were due before we left for summer break. This was a unique position because I was representing my sponsoring organization, Alpha Phi, and wanted to make it an inclusive and joint campaign with everyone in my organization. After allowing everyone to send in ideas and recommendations for the campaign, 'Crouch Racing' going off of a NASCAR theme, was selected. From there, I sent out emails allowing everyone to send in different committees that they wanted to be on and tried to make this as much as an open campaign as I could. This way, it was all of Alpha Phi leading and enjoying this expereince, not just me. It was extremely worth it when I saw how much continuous support that was given over the next couple of months and during the Homecoming campaign weeks. This was extremely helpful in teaching me how to be an open leader and practicing servant leadership by leading simply by meeting the the needs of the organization.
Homecoming Parade
Halftime at the game
Over the summer and the beginning of the school year, much preparation was needed to begin to plan for the campaign and design the t-shirts. The two week campaigning started in the middle of September and started with a social media campaign the first week and a full campaign the second week. This took a lot of dedication and committment to continue to push through and not give up. I sent daily motivational emails to Alpha Phi to keep them motivated and remember the importance of Homecoming- to share a tradition at Virginia Tech and celebrate being an involved organization. Campaining was a blast over the two weeks and it showed me how important being a servant leader is. This allowed everyone to take charge, know that it was their campaign also, and get in the homecoming spirit. At the end of campaigning, I received such great feedback on how the campaign went and how everyone in my organization never lost motivation and always felt like they were leaders in the campaign.
Homecoming was also a unique experience because the Homecoming Court participated in a lot of different events over the course of the week. We first participated in a water balloon toss at halftime of the mens soccer game to kickoff the week. We also raised money and funds when we were auctioned off at a Relay for Life date night event, which Alpha Phi raised $300 for VT Relay! One of the coolest experiences was having lunch with President Sands in the Presidents box in Lane Stadium. We were able to show President Sands what Homecoming was and the different traditions, since this is his first year experiencing a Virginia Tech Homecoming. Lastly, we participated in a Benny's Pizza eating contest and got tickets to attend the Homecoming Concert in Burruss. All of these events allowed all of the candidates to get extremely close and it was an amazing experience to get to know so many leaders at Virginia Tech. Although we were running against each other, it never felt like a competition and we were able to share our successes with one another. I still can call all these 15 candidates my close friends and I was able to gain many leadership skills from each of them by watching how they lead their organizations. Being on Homecoming Court was one of the most amazing, unique, and special events that I have participated in at Virginia Tech and it led me to become a better leader, gain leaders on campus, and participate in an amazing Virginia Tech tradition.
On the field with my Dad
My family at Homecoming
Homecoming Statement:
What does it mean to be a Hokie? It’s about being part of a community where everyone is very passionate, caring, and proud of being part of one of the most unforgettable and life changing places. The day I was accepted into Virginia Tech, I knew that I wanted to make the most of my four years here and make my mark in this community. Whether it was welcoming the Class of 2017 at Orientation and Hokie Camp this summer, designing the Class of 2015 Class Ring, or raising funds and awareness for the largest Collegiate Relay For Life, I have been able to learn about our traditions, our successes, and most importantly I have been able to live out our Univeristy motto, Ut Prosim. Virginia Tech has a special place in everyone’s heart and it really takes being a Hokie to understand that feeling and that passion of being part of this community.
Campaign Picture
Homecoming Traditions:
Game Ball Run-
A continuous tradition of R Company since 1977 and possibly intermittently before then, various cadets in the company run the game ball for Homecoming for 100 miles around the campus during the week of Homecoming, ending at the Homecoming pep rally.
Flaming VT:
Another Homecoming tradition is the “Flaming VT” symbol. The Flaming VT started around the 1960s, according to the Alumni Association website. The Flaming VT is a metal frame that makes up the shape of a “V” with a “T” inside it, similar to athletic logos of years past. The flame is carried through campus to the Homecoming pep rally, which is held at the Graduate Life Center Lawn.
