Virginia Tech Magazine

Six decades ago, in the fall of 1966, the first Black women students arrived at Virginia Tech: transfer student Linda Adams Hoyle, Jacqueline Butler Blackwell, Linda Edmonds Turner, LaVerne Hairston Higgins, Marguerite Harper Scott, and Chiquita Hudson. They were a minority within a minority — six Black women among nearly 9,500 white men, 500 white women, and 20 Black men.

These dogs can reach people in a way no human can. Therapy dogs help in ways that are not possible even for the most educated, well-intentioned human.

In 24 hours, 25,055 Hokies from around the world came together to raise more than $17 million in support of Virginia Tech during the university’s annual Giving Day.

We love celebrating the Hokie community. See photos of some of our recent events and make plans to attend an upcoming events in Blacksburg and beyond.

Launched in 2006, Hokie Heroes recognizes alumni of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets serving overseas serving or working as civilians abroad. What began as a simple idea – reading the names and stories of deployed Hokies during football broadcasts – has grown into a meaningful, enduring tribute to service, sacrifice, and connection.

In our spring 2025 edition, we asked readers to share their most unexpected Hokie encounters — more than a year later, we’re still getting letters.