Class of 2024: Jack Micallef leaves legacy of creativity and social media savvy

I'm Jack McCafe. I'm part of the class of 2024. I'm majoring in packaging systems and design, and I've been creating social media content for the University libraries for the past three years. Gary, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. With packaging systems and design, a lot of what goes unnoticed is the creativity that goes into it. Similarly with this job University libraries, a lot of what I have to do is come up with creative and engaging ideas for content for social media. I've helped out with a lot of cheesy nights videos, done a bunch of reals, photography for different events and different displays that were on in the library, then just overall capturing the Hokie Spirit around Gant. I think the Hokie spirit is just being positive about where you are and what you're doing currently at Virginia Tech. It can be simply studying on the first floor at the coffee shop or it could be working on a prototype for a project up in the studio. Just anywhere where you can be displaying your talents and your skills and just being overall happy and positive about that, I think that really displays the Hokie spirit, and kind of capturing those elements in those candid moments really helps to invoke that feeling. It's just really awesome to know that my work is being noticed and being seen and really appreciated. And it's just such a good feeling to have knowing that I can go home and show someone a physical copy of what I've made and been published in a magazine and kind of say, Okay, that's my work, it's by me, and just really be proud of myself and really know that what I've been doing here has not gone unnoticed. My time at Virginia Tech is almost over, and my advice to younger Hogees would be to step out of your comfort zone. I'm a packaging major, which is drastically different than anything that I would be doing at the library and my full time job after. I think just getting out of your comfort zone, trying new things, join that club you want to do, hang out with those friends you never really see. Just get out of your comfort zone, do new things, meet new people. That's what college is all about. Okay.