On College Decision Day 2021, Hoda Kotb, a 1986 graduate in communication, let two incoming Virginia Tech students know in a Today broadcast that they had each received a full-tuition scholarship through the Calhoun Discovery Program. 

Emily McLeod will pursue a communication degree in the School of Communication, while Sydney Williams will pursue computational modeling and data analytics in the College of Science.

During the segment, Kotb chanted “Hokie Hokie Hokie Hy” as she shook a HokieBird bobblehead. She also revealed some insider knowledge about Virginia Tech’s spirit cheer.

“There’s a cheer you’re going to have to learn,” Kotb told one student. “Hokie Hokie Hokie Hy! Tech Tech VPI! Solah-Rex, Solah-Rah!”

Kotb then paused and added, with a twinkle, “And nobody knows anything beyond that, so don’t even bother with it.”