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Reflecting on the cornerstones of Hokie identity and community

Mark Tambe

Mark Tambe sits in the Thrive Living-Learning Community lounge, where he recounts his experience as an international student and the sense of Hokie community he's found while on campus at Virginia Tech. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.
Mark Tambe sits in the Thrive Living-Learning Community lounge, where he recounts his experience as an international student and the sense of Hokie community he's found while on campus at Virginia Tech. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.

Why did you choose Virginia Tech?

As an international student, first of all I’m very grateful to be here at Virginia Tech. Not a lot of people quite understand the background of coming from a different country. My parents have always been adamant about prioritizing formal education, so when they told me that I’d been given the opportunity to come to the US to study for undergraduate education, I was ecstatic and immediately did a lot of research. I applied to 12 schools – Purdue, UC Irvine, Colorado State, a lot of others all over the country – and eventually I chose Virginia Tech: first because of the mechanical engineering program, second because of the high quality of life in Virginia, and third because of the highly-ranked food! That was literally on one of my whiteboards where it said “high food rating.” Since I’ve been here, not only have those three things been solidified, I’ve also gotten to know the Hokie community! It’s a great, tight-knit community that you find everywhere - whether it’s alums, people you meet on job sites, in and out of state!

 

As an international student, what's one thing you think that that most people don't understand about international students?

I think there’s a level of necessary hard work that most people don’t understand. I’m from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and every US dollar equals about 3.6 UAE dirham, so for me and my parents to fund my studies in the US, we have to make three times as much to funnel it into one education. I could have totally taken the same degree from a university in the UAE, and I would have come out with two-thirds of my money saved for something else, but this is higher education. You work three times as much, more hours, multiple jobs. My family doesn’t really believe in the loan system, so we would work a lot harder for the three or four years rather than take the loan and pay it off over many years. Overachiever is the equivalent of just achieving for us, otherwise the standard would be too low. That’s one thing I think most people don’t think about when it comes to international students.

 

What’s your major, and what got you into that field of study?

My major is mechanical engineering, and the simple answer is cars! I’ve always been fascinated with cars, when I was younger it started with a passion for drawing them – my mom has a whole file of them saved at home – and that evolved into learning about the mechanisms, and now it’s gotten very technical. I love working on electric cars, I think that’s the future of automotives! I’ve had multiple internships and research projects about them, testing, trying to make them faster, doing power train work, and all of it really fascinates me.

 

You asked to do this interview in this building - Pritchard Hall. Why is this building important to you?

In general I love the environment on-campus at Virginia Tech. The third floor on Pritchard will always be remembered for the Thrive Living-Learning Community. I love walking around knowing there are doors I can knock on with friends that are willing to talk and hang out. It’s a safe place with a deep sense of belonging, and there are always two or three people that walk by at any time that I know. It's great to feel at home.

Mark Tambe stands in front of the multicolored wall that adorns Thrive's Living-Learning Community lounge. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.
Mark Tambe stands in front of the multicolored wall that adorns Thrive's Living-Learning Community lounge. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.

Since entering college, what have you learned about yourself?

I am a very different person from who I was as a freshman! A lot of it reflects on the Hokie community itself. I recently wrote an essay for an interview, and one of the things I was asked about was the Hokie community. One of the things that came straight to my mind is that a lot of these cornerstones of the Hokie community - inclusivity, trust, and respect - are very deliberate. Lots of people reflect these cornerstones and make deliberate actions and decisions to ensure the community is inclusive and trustworthy. So over time I think that’s what has caught my attention the most! I have always wanted to reflect that back and make sure that my intentions and actions are deliberate to carry forward those cornerstones in my own life. As a fifth-year student, last lap looking back on the first lap, I definitely have also learned the culture of the US. I’ve come to be a better communicator, to love more freely, to be more welcoming and open-minded of others and their perspectives, and I’ve become more responsible for my actions.

 

What's your favorite thing about living in Thrive?

The sense of belonging! My freshman year I was part of what is now the Leadership and Social Change Residential College and I had an amazing experience. I made life-long friendships, I loved the mentorship aspect of the community, and the whole idea that I already have something in common with people coming from 7,000 miles away and not knowing anybody here was so helpful with the transition to college. I definitely thoroughly missed that living off-campus my second through fourth years. So last year when I had my internship and time to think, I knew a lot of my friends would graduate by this time and there was no better time to recreate that freshman-year experience. So I did some research, came to Thrive, and I’m so lucky to be here! I love the sense of belonging and already having something in common with people.

 

Do you have a favorite story you'd like to share from living in Thrive?

I host socials, and we noticed that a lot of the same people would come to them every time. We wanted more and more people to join, so Janet, our very inspiring program director, had the idea to text some people directly and personally invite them. I soon found that if I texted them myself with an invitation they would show up! More and more people started showing up to socials because they felt personally invited to the social and that awkwardness of showing up didn’t exist because of that direct invitation. We have gained some of their confidence over time, they talk freely, they’re better friends with others on the hall, and we’ve built a good community around these events.

Mark Tambe studies in the student lounge on the 3rd floor of Pritchard Hall. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.
Mark Tambe studies in the student lounge on the 3rd floor of Pritchard Hall. Photo by Luke Williams for Virginia Tech.

Do you belong to any student organizations?

I am the president of the table tennis club on campus, and I’ve been there for about four years now. We ranked number one in Virginia for three or four years actually! We’ve had the chance to play the mid-atlantic coastal region and have played against some incredible players - in Pennsylvania, in North Carolina, and a bunch of other places.

 

What's the best piece of advice you have ever received from a professor?

Never stop learning! I had a professor who’s incredibly dedicated to his work, his name is Dr. Roger Chang and I had him for one of my more difficult classes. I remember we had a midterm from 7:00-9:00pm in a building that our class wasn’t in, and when we came out of that exam Dr. Chang was waiting for us outside to ask how it went and see how we were doing! I don’t remember another professor who had that level of dedication. Another time we asked him what advice he would have, and “never stop learning” is what he told us. To see that advice coming from someone with that level of dedication to their students was really powerful.

 

What advice would you have for other students to Virginia Tech?

I would say to make every effort to go outside your comfort zone. Everything that’s on the edge of your comfort zone might feel embarrasing, or difficult, or silly. You might even have to leave older friendships to make newer ones. But there’s so much to learn, to grow, to understand about your community once you surpass the boundary of what’s comfortable. It might be difficult but put yourself out there! Be the first one to say “Hey, I am in Thrive! I believe you are too. My name is Mark, what’s yours?” It might take 10 or 20 seconds of insane courage to do that after which you’ll be just fine, and it’ll help you grow and become a different person.