For the third blog in this series, trumpet rank captain Carrie Craig speaks on her time as an undergraduate as she prepares for graduate school and her first year of leadership.
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Photo courtesy of Carrie Craig.
How long have you been in the MVs and what is your role?
So I did the MVs ever since freshman year, so I’ve done it for four seasons. I joined in 2020, the Covid season, and all four years of undergrad I was just a normal band member but this year, I’ll be returning for my fifth and final season as a trumpet rank captain! I’m very excited about that.
What made you decide to go for leadership as you’re starting your masters, instead of during undergrad?
You would think I’d have more time as an undergrad, but the truth is, I had a lot of programs that I was apart of and leadership roles in other groups, specifically I was president of a club, so I didn’t really think it was fair to say I could be in a leadership position and then also be president of a club and maybe have conflicts with that. That’s why I never did it as an undergrad, but I always really wanted to do it. Now, I’m out of leadership with other groups, so I am 100% MVs right now. I also just wanted to give back and help train the next generation of MVs.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Craig.
What was your undergraduate degree? What’s your master’s in now?
Mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering. Double ME! I love being a mechanical engineer. It’s a tough major, it’s a lot of time commitment, but as long as you’re good at time management and communicate… people are very understanding.
What extracurriculars outside of the MVs did you engage in?
I was on the Baja Team at Virginia Tech, which is a competition design team that builds a new small high performance offroad vehicle every year and then we go and race against other colleges in different dynamic events… to see who has the best car. It’s a lot of fun! In addition to that, I was able to restart a club at Virginia Tech that’s been gone for about ten years. I was already a member of [the Society of Automotive Engineers] to do Baja, so I was like “well, I’ll look into it.” Little did I know, I would get so involved! We started with just three students and we were really able to take it and run with it. Virginia Tech has a lot of car teams… and what we were seeing was, teams weren’t actually talking to each other. What we did with SAE was, we kind of gave all those teams a place where they could come together and talk about their problems, share trailers, we’ve done all kind of stuff… meeting people in the industry, touring labs… It was so cool to grow it from three people to sixty – it was overwhelming.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Craig
How would you say the MVs impacted your time at Tech?
It gave me my best friends, that’s probably the biggest way it changed my life. I met people I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life. It probably brought me out of my shell a lot too, because people were so energetic and welcoming and excited for you to be there, it’s just contagious. Everyone just wants the best for you and for you to succeed, it’s just such a refreshing environment to be a part of. Everyone has something to teach you, it’s just a big family. It’s awesome.
How would you say being in another organization outside of the MVs has benefited you?
Those organizations for sure gave me professional contacts that are invaluable. I’ve met people in actual industry, and professors at tech – people who can help me going forward. It’s all these different connections and it’s really built a network for me. Everyone, if they see that you’re really applying yourself, especially doing multiple groups, that’s something that recruiters and professionals really look at in my experience.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Craig.
How have you managed your time?
A calendar. I learned how to make a really good color-coded calendar. Also, recognizing that you do have to be a person. Sometimes taking a step back is way more valuable than powering through. I’m going to go to band, and when I come back I’m refreshed – you flex a different muscle. That’s a big deal to my success as an undergrad, being able to have that break every day.
What advice do you have for folks who are new to the MVs?
Cherish your time here, because it’s going to go by very fast. It’s going to be hard sometimes. Recognizing that you’re not alone in it and that the MVs will give you the community and strength to push through it. I think it’s so important to have that.
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Carrie is a track geometry intern with Norfolk Southern.