Twelve Thousand Times Two Equals Rebecca Thornton

Sitting comfortably in her blue jeans and favorite royal blue Madison County soccer sweat shirt, a little too long in the arms, Rebecca Thornton relaxes during her favorite season in her freshman year at Virginia Tech.

This relaxing state coincides with the hometown of Rebecca, Madison County, where the hustle and bustle is kept to a minimum. With a hometown population half the size of Virginia Tech’s enrollment, the transition between the two would be an adventure on its own.

When July 31st, 1989, came around, it was time for Rebecca to step into the world. Being the youngest of three, has shaped Bec’s life into what is it today. With older sister Sarah, twenty three, and Diana, twenty one, looking after her, Rebecca had an exceptionally sheltered life. Plus the only major accident that can develop from living on a farm is the occasional cow tipping.

The town of Madison, Virginia is a depiction you always see in the movies, rolling blue hills, trees that line the street with colors of red, orange and yellow during fall, and the typical cow population, where they occupy more land than people do.

Madison has a population around twelve thousand, the sort of place where you knew almost everyone. Katrina, Rebecca’s best friend, stated, “If you're driving down the street or walking down the sidewalk, you know the person who's passing by. It's like a comfort zone.” A comfort zone that would make the transition between a small rural town to a larger Virginia Tech campus even more complicated.

Rebecca grew close to her family while living in a small county 40 minutes north of Charlottesville, Virginia. Unlike most kids, Rebecca had a tight relationship with both parents. Mary, Rebecca’s mother, was involved in mostly everything school related. Remembering the questions, “How much homework do you have Rebecca,” to a very similar question 20 minutes later, “What homework do you have” was a sign that if there was ever a problem with the work, to come seek help. Whenever there was a struggle with a subject, Mary was the first one to dive in to help her daughter.

Between the grades of first through eighth, Charles and Mary sent their kids to Grymes Memorial School, a private institute in Orange County, 10 minutes outside Madison. Charles stated, “…we felt that a private school offered a better education in various areas.” When the alteration from middle school to high school arrived, Rebecca’s life began to take off.

Rebecca Thornton at Virginia TechWhen school started in the year 2003 at Madison County High, Bec had a hard time fitting in. Going through freshman and sophomore year without making too many friends, was one of her strongest regrets. I remember the strange and awkward feelings from entering a new place making it hard to interact. Rebecca wished she wouldn’t have been as shy the first half of high school. No high school makes it easy to make friends, especially when threats to the building are involved.

Every school is not with its problems. During Bec’s senior year a few unpredictable events transpired. A series of bomb threats, five in total, were sketched on walls of bathrooms. These disruptions of school work lead to the evacuation of Madison High to a local elementary school, Waverly Yowell. Focusing on studies had vanished for students for awhile but Rebecca still persevered, maintaining her high grade point average.

Taking school work seriously was a typical trait you could find in Rebecca. This was the place where her obsession with taking notes and making lists thrived. From her pad of paper shaped like a dress, sitting on her night stand, writing down homework on her planner, to copying notes, helped fuel the fire of knowledge under her. Finishing eighth in a class of one hundred and forty was no small task. That is the top five percent of her school.

Apart from her studies which consumed numerous amount of her time, Rebecca found time to help out with the local soccer team. The Madison County Mountaineers’ soccer team, whom juggled around with wins and losses, is where she applied her free time. Even though the coach failed to accept her playing ability during her freshman year and was cut, she still volunteered to help out. Katrina quoted Rebecca as, “Unselfish, always willing to give herself.” This was the very trait one would need to stick around and lend a hand.

Rebecca's care been shown to her roommateUnselfish was just one of the many words to describe her personality. Many of Rebecca’s friends and family also characterized her as, “sweet, caring and honest.” Traits are found on the inside and work their way out, however many people saw a light about Rebecca. The way she acted in any merciless circumstance, or the forgiveness she would offer, would be unlike the people around her. The only thing she expected in return was to be treated the same way with honesty and care.

Rebecca’s hard work during her high school career is what led her to apply early decision to Virginia Tech. There were positive and negative outcomes for making this decision. Unlike most senior high school students that apply to three or more colleges, Rebecca only applied to Tech. If she did get into Virginia Tech she was secured a spot at the University. On the flip side if she had not gotten in, Rebecca stated that her back-up plan was to “go to a community college for a year and then transfer to Tech.”

When that day came in late December of 2006 to find out if she was going her dream college, she wasn’t n the least bit discouraged. Bec was granted acceptance and was “thoroughly excited.” With a population twice the size of her home town, she wasn’t afraid because she had family that lived in Blacksburg.

Diana, her sister, and other relatives living a few minutes from campus made the transition for Rebecca a peaceful one. Destined not to repeat her mistake of being shy, Bec is jumping at the bit to make new friends. With a campus of twenty five thousand people, there are friends for everyone.

Tim Knicely
Blacksburg, VA