Maggie finds the perfect bridge

TechGirl 2018 US Youth Ambassador: Maggie  quickly found a way to connect. This is her blog post

5,000 Miles Bridged by Books (VTech is Basically Hogwarts)

 It was shortly after being overwhelmed by 20 different names that we turned the corner of the grand stairs of Virginia Tech. I saw the girls conversing rapidly in Arabic, laughing amongst themselves, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there would be an insurmountable barrier standing boldly between the MENA girls and me. I was desperately trying to come up with a conversation starter to no avail. My mind remained frustratingly blank. It was then that I noticed those huge, colorful banners draped over the railing of the second floor in stark contrast to the neutral colors of the walls, ceilings, and floors. Green, red, yellow, blue. It was obvious to anyone with the most insignificant scrap of knowledge about one of the most popular book series in the world. Suddenly, the girl and I were rushing down the last few steps, barely able to formulate any words with the excitement overflowing from us. Once we reached the bottom, we turned to look at each other with smiles stretching across our faces, fingers pointing frantically, mouths opening simultaneously to exclaim the first thought that came to our minds. “Hogwarts!”  It was like a dam broke. Immediately, we exchanged Hogwarts Houses. I may not be able to remember names very well, but rest assured your Hogwarts House will practically be ingrained in my very image of you. We were gushing about our shared love for books like we’d known each other for years. Though I later found out her name was Manel, she’ll always be Ravenclaw first and foremost to me.