Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 5 | May 2020

Supporting Tech Athletics Since 1949 Dear Virginia Tech , Thank you for giving me the professors, coaches, and friends that helped shape me into the person I am today. You have opened many doors for me and gave me the opportunity to succeed. I came from Portugal, where winter isn’t as cold as in Blacksburg, but you always gave me a sense of warmth, and I couldn’t have asked for a better second home. I truly enjoyed representing Hokie Nation as a student-athlete, and I will never stop being a Hokie. Blacksburg will always hold a special place in my heart. Alex Ribeiro Men’s Tennis Dear Virginia Tech , You have changed my life in so many ways in just four short years. Coming into college as a freshman, I knew the student-athlete life was going to be incredibly challenging, but I never would have thought that I would have to go through some of the mental, physical, and personal hardships that set foot in my path the past four years. However, I never would have anticipated the level of growth and personal development that arose from these challenges. I never would have anticipated meeting some of my best friends for life. I never would have anticipated falling in love with a small town in Southwest Virginia. I never would have anticipated finding my passion again for swimming, a sport that has shown me the highest of highs and lowest of lows for 14 years. And most of all, I never would have anticipated the level of sheer, pure pride that I feel, as a soon-to-be graduating senior, to be a Hokie. Thank you, Virginia Tech, for changing my life in the best way possible. Erin Scott Swimming & Diving Dear Virginia Tech , You have changed my life. Thank you for the constant support and for teaching me that family can be more than a last name. From my first time stepping on campus to the last, I know that I am always welcome in the Virginia Tech community. Wherever the future takes me, I know I have a home back in Blacksburg. Thank you for the best four years of my life. Go Hokies! Love, Matt Madrazo Cheerleading SENIORS “Thank Say You” Continued from page 3