03/13/2026
When you grow up as a third culture kid (TCK), you rarely think twice about the moves, changing schools, and constantly meeting new friends. As a military kid, you’re taught to trust the process, believe in your parent’s mission, and appreciate that you are living a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Eventually something shifts. You grow older and begin to understand the quiet toll that comes with moving, starting over, and building friendships while knowing you will soon say goodbye.
I moved more than 12 times and, by graduation, had attended nine different schools (often surprisingly reconnecting with familiar faces along the way).
Old Dominion University (ODU) became one of my first true “homes”—a place where I stayed for four years. It was where I began to form my own voice, shape my own beliefs, and build an independent identity. While that is a common experience for many college students, it carried particular meaning for me as a TCK.
ODU sits near more than a dozen major military installations, and I think that proximity created an unspoken sense of familiarity and belonging. Virginia had also been home at different points in my childhood, making it easier to recognize pieces of shared experience in new friendships.
Today, my heart is heavy. I am absolutely gutted by the act of violence and terrorism that occurred on the campus that helped shape me.
I am deeply grateful to the brave students who stepped forward to protect their classmates and to the community members who responded so quickly. May stories, connection, and shared remembrance help hold the Monarch community as it mourns the loss of LTC Brandon Shah—not only a faculty member, but a fellow graduate.
My hope is simple and profound: one day every student and educator can walk onto a campus knowing their safety is guaranteed. I am proud to be an Old Dominion University Alumni (C/O 2008)
