VT Stories Oral History with Michael Goode and Levi Daniels, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Michael Goode, born in Richmond, Virginia, attended Virginia Tech from 2001 to 2006, majoring in business information technology. While at Virginia Tech he felt disconnected from the culture as it was predominately white, which led him to take part in student government and the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity.
Levi Daniels, born in Washington D.C., went to Virginia Tech from 2000 to 2005 and studied accounting information systems and management. He became involved in student life his junior year, taking part in the Black Student Alliance, the VT Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, and working with international students.
The two met while forming Virginia Tech's Student African American Brotherhood as students. In this interview, Michael and Levi talk about their experiences as racial minorities in a predominately White institution, especially relating to outreach and forming communities.
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Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech,
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VT Stories Oral History with Lorraine Feury, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Lorraine Feury was born and raised as a first generation immigrant in Northern Virginia. Her parents lived in Sierra Leone before moving to England for college. Although they did not finish, they moved to America and raised Lorraine to value family and schoolwork. Initially in researching schools, Lorraine did not consider Virginia Tech, but decided on it because of the distance (without being out-of-state), the football program, and research opportunities. She graduated with degrees in math and sociology in 2014 and works as a cost analyst.
In this interview, Lorraine talks about her time at Virginia Tech, integrating into the school, becoming active in the Black Student Association, and finding a cultural community. Lorraine covers the changes she would like to see at the school in relation to diversity, and what she hopes for the future.
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2016-04-22">2016-04-22</a>
Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
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VT Stories Oral History with Lisa Ellison, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Acceptance and equality are cornerstones of today’s Hokie Nation. Lisa Ellison, a member of the 1986 graduating class, was a prominent leader of social change here at Virginia Tech. Serving as the President of the Black Organizations Council and a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership roundtable, Lisa became more than just a student–she was a student with a voice powerful enough to represent a minority group.
At this time, Squires Student Center was being renovated and the Black Organizations Council began pushing for the inclusion of a Black Cultural Center. Lisa, and her fellow members of the Black Organizations Council, put the Black Cultural Center on the blueprints and, subsequently, in the front mezzanine of the Squires Student Center.
As a Hokie, Lisa’s voice established a living, functioning monument of diversity. For Lisa, the Virginia Tech community gave her a sense of solidarity and empowered her to become an advocate for the African American community. Lisa understands that the Hokie Nation is not monochromatic. Hokies do not allow differences to weaken us; rather, our diversity inspires Hokies to become leaders, dreamers, and campaigners for social change.
Beyond ethnicity, nationality, or gender, every Hokie knows what makes Blacksburg, Virginia home–even if it is just walking across the drillfield in the rain.
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VT Stories Oral History with Lawrence "Lonnie" Johns, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Lonnie Johns was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia with close ties to Virginia Tech. Although he was drawn to other schools, his mother receiving a PhD from the school and the architecture department led him to attend. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1992, majoring in Architecture.
After graduating, he worked in various architecture firms, eventually landing in working for the Department of Defense. In this interview, Johns talks about his time at Virginia Tech, as one of the few African American students, work with his fraternity Omega Psi Phi, and favorite memories at the school.
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Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives.
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VT Stories Oral History with Kunmi Otitoju, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Kunmi Otitoju, born in Lagos, Nigera in 1983, attended Virginia Tech as a master's student in computer science from 2005 to 2007. Growing up, Kunmi grew up in Nigeria and attended primary and high school there. Her older sister was an exceptional student and took part in an exchange program with Howard University and NASA, allowing her to get a bachelor's degree at Howard. Her experience inspired Kunmi's parents to send her to the United States for college.
She got into Howard on a scholarship studying electrical engineering, but switched to computer science her freshmen year. After graduating, she ultimately chose Virginia Tech for computer science after they offered her a teaching assistantship.
In this interview, Kunmi talks about her journey of arriving at Virginia Tech, her personal and academic experiences as a graduate student (including salsa dancing), and learning and working as a textile artist.
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Permission to publish material from VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
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VT Stories Oral History with First African American Women Students, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Marguerite Laurette Harper Scott, also known as Chick, grew up in Norfolk, Virginia in a family of Virginia State graduates. Although she intended on doing the same, when Virginia Polytechnic recruiters visited her high school, her father decided it was the place for her. She studied sociology and history, and graduated in the class of 1970.
LaVerne Hairston Higgins, commonly known as Freddie, grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and arrived at Virginia Tech through following her math teacher from high school. While at Virginia Polytechnic, she was heavily involved in social activism and studied math.
Linda Edmonds Turner grew up in Halifax County and arrived at the school through the Rockefeller Foundation. She is a triple Hokie, receiving her Bachelor of Science in 1970, master's in 1976, and PhD in 1979.
Upon arriving to Virginia Polytechnic Institute, these women did not know they would be among the first Black female students of the school. However, they turned into trailblazers for later classes of students, especially in challenging the schools traditions. In this interview, the women talk about their experiences at Virginia Polytechnic through this intersectional lens. They recount experiences with discrimination on campus and pockets of acceptance they found, professors they butted heads with, displaying the Confederate flag during home games, stories from Hillcrest, and participating in social activism on a predominately White campus.
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Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
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VT Stories Oral History with Duston Scarborough, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Duston Scarborough was born in Anchorage, Alaska. As his mother was in the Navy, he frequently moved around, living in places like Puerto Rico and Texas. Upon settling down in Hampton Roads, he got involved in 4-H and took part in Congresses which drew him to Virginia Tech. He majored in Marketing Management to learn how to market himself in the music industry. While at Virginia Tech, he got involved in Omega Psi Phi, a NPHC fraternity, and was an RA. After graduating, he considers himself an active young alumni and encourages others to do the same.
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Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
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VT Stories Oral History with Calvin Jamison, April 22, 2016 (Ms2016-015)
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Dr. Calvin D. Jamison grew up knowing he was going to attend college, the only question was where? He was born and raised in Martinsville, Virginia and upon visiting Virginia Tech, he ultimately decided to attend. A triple Hokie, Jamison received his undergraduate degree in 1977, master’s in 1981, and PhD in 1988.
In this interview, Jamison talks about his time at Virginia Tech, particularly in relation to being one of the few African Americans on campus, and his efforts in building a fellowship between African American students. He served on the Human Relations Council, a precursor to BSA, to recruit more students, which he continued on in his professional career.
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Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives.
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