Sometimes, it’s just meant to be.

Katie Tepsic, the 2024 recipient of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (CLAHS) Staff Association’s scholarship, had numerous moments scattered throughout her life that pointed her toward Virginia Tech. Scholarships like the one Tepsic received helped to make her dreams a reality.

“I wouldn’t be here at all without scholarships like this,” she said.

Tepsic, a junior sports media and analytics major in the School of Communication, had her heart set on attending Virginia Tech ever since she took a film class in high school. One of her first assignments was to research universities with media majors, and she stumbled across Virginia Tech. The more she learned, the more she knew she was meant to be a Hokie and longed to make her mark on the sports media program.

Tepsic, a Georgia native, has always been an avid sports lover. She knew at a young age she wanted to be a sports broadcaster and dreams of one day announcing games like the Super Bowl.

“I don’t care where I start, but I will be the hardest working person in that room to get where I know I can go,” Tepsic said of her future career.

The signs leading Tepsic to Virginia Tech didn’t stop with her film class. From getting stuck in game day traffic on the way home to Georgia, to the Virginia Tech lanyard she bought on a whim when it fell in front of her at her favorite sports shop, Tepsic felt like she was being led to Blacksburg.

However, high school threw many challenges at Tepsic. Her parents divorced, she lost her beloved dog, an injury ended her time as a volleyball player, and she was waitlisted by Virginia Tech. After months without an update from the university, and devastated after everything she had been through, Tepsic accepted an offer to a school in Texas.

But days later, Tepsic received an email. She was scared to open it, assuming it would solidify her rejection and put the final nail in her dreams of being a Hokie. Yet as she opened the message, maroon and orange confetti rained down on the screen. Tepsic recalls throwing her phone on the table, totally in shock that she’d finally been accepted. Within 24 hours, she turned down the Texas school’s offer, put a deposit down, and found a roommate.

While her dreams were starting to fall into place, Tepsic knew that her ability to afford out-of-state tuition would hinge upon getting scholarships to offset some of the costs. Her mom was working two jobs to help out, but Tepsic wanted to do her part. She completed the general scholarship application, applying for anything and everything she qualified for. Luckily, her diligence paid off. She received multiple scholarships, including one from the CLAHS Staff Association.

When she found out she had been selected for the award, she excitedly called her mom to tell her the news.

“I’m so grateful because I would not be here at all without scholarships like this,” Tepsic said. “It feels like a pat on the back, that I’m going down the right path.”

When asked what advice she would give to other students seeking financial support, she said it’s important to apply for as many scholarships as possible.

“The small ones add up quickly,” she said. “You just have to be proactive and show dedication to what you want, and everything will work out.”

The CLAHS Staff Association’s scholarship committee is made up of a handful of staff volunteers from throughout the college. Each year, they host fundraisers to raise money for the student scholarship fund. Through calendar sales, a virtual 5K, and Giving Day donations, the committee was able to award Tepsic a $3,000 scholarship.

“It’s so rewarding to see our hard work pay off by getting to help students in our college like Katie,” said Blake Smith, a committee member and vice president of the association. “We’re hoping to raise more and more money each year to hopefully give even bigger scholarships in the future.”

When asked what her experience has been like so far after everything she went through to get here, Tepsic laughed.

“If I got my blood drawn right now, it would be maroon and orange,” she said. “I was never really homesick. My first trip here, my first thought was that it looks just like Alpharetta, Georgia – just like home.”

Written by Cammie Sgarrella