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April 22, 2015

GET TO KNOW, MORGAN! | A VIRGINIA TECH HOKIE SENIOR!

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MORGAN | HOKIE SENIOR | VIRGINIA TECH, BLACKSBURG, VA


Where does the time go?! Morgan, oh Morgan, where to begin! She’s the youngest of us Denfeld sisters and she’s about to GRADUATE from college! I counted down the days until I got to see her and spend the weekend taking her SENIOR PICTURES! She braved the cold in SHORT SLEEVES when it was freezing and windy on Saturday and smiled some more in the sun on Sunday! She’s done SO much at Virginia Tech and I’m so proud of her and lucky to call her my sister! I had so much fun getting to visit my baby sister one last time before graduation! Surreal! I’ve been out of college now for four years and it feels like YESTERDAY that I was walking across that stage!


virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photographyvirginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyMorgan-VT-blog-25_WEBvirginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyOn Saturday morning, Morgan and I went through her closet and gathered some outfits. If you’re anything like us, you know the drill — you try on EVERYTHING in your closet to decide what to wear and then end up coming back to the first thing you put on.  We decided, what the heck, bring em’ all!We started shooting around 5pm and lucky for us, it was pretty chilly outside so not many people were out and about while we were running around campus. On the other hand it was unlucky for Morgan because she was freezing and the wind kept blowing her hair around, BUT she was a real trooper and powered through! AND we went out again on Sunday to take even more!!

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Obviously we had zero fun… KIDDING! This was just too hilarious not to share!

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Morgan, you’re gorgeous! This is one of my favorites!virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyMorgan-VT-blog-37_WEB

As much as I love shooting weddings, I also really love having one-on-one portrait sessions! I love them even more when they’re with my sisters! Morgan has been my model several times, but this time was different! I didn’t cry or anything at our shoot because we were too busy racing the clock, BUT, as I sat at my computer editing started to tear up a little bit! (for those who know me, I am super sentimental)… I’m looking at my pretty sister and thinking about what an amazing person she is! She’s smart, she’s a go-getter, a leader, a role model, and so many other things! I had SO much fun galavanting all over Virginia Tech’s campus, taking photos in front of Hokie stone, in front of iconic VT locations, and spending two days with my sister!

virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyWhen I sent Morgan the “Get to know Morgan” questions I was really excited to see what she would say. Being Morgan’s older sister, I  know a lot about her… but when I got the email back, I really enjoyed getting to read Morgan’s viewpoint on why she decided to attend Virginia Tech, learn about her favorite memories as a Hokie, and hear about how excited she is about the adventures after graduation.

Without further ado…

Why did you choose to attend Virginia Tech?: I started playing soccer when I was 5 years old. I always thought I was going to play college soccer. I had even applied and been accepted to play college soccer at another school, but then I realized something… I wanted college to be college.  I wanted to be able to branch out and join clubs and be more than just a soccer player with no free time to try new things.  Virginia Tech was never on my radar until my sister, Erica, decided to go there.  After seeing all the opportunities she had and how many different things there were to get involved in, I knew that Virginia Tech was where I was meant to be.  Just two weeks before the early-decision deadline, I applied and… voilá, here I am.

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virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyIs there anything Morgan doesn’t do? Her schedule has been anything but boring! She’s been involved with Hokie Camp, clubs, Kappa Delta sorority, internships, the honors program, study abroad, a member of SAA, and a class officer!
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What was your favorite part about being Vice President of your class?: I got to help plan Ring Dance, which is one of the biggest traditions at Virginia Tech. Every year Virginia Tech designs a class ring and puts on Ring Dance. Ring Dance is a huge celebration where the entire class is invited to come and take part in the ceremony where you get to place your class ring on your finger. It was really neat being able to help decorate for the dance and work so closely with the other class officers, as well as the Leadership Team (ring dance team) to put on an event for our whole class to enjoy.

virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyWhat is SAA?: SAA is the Student Alumni Associates of Virginia Tech Alumni Associates. We work directly with the Alumni Association to help plan and run class reunions, put on spirit rallies before football games, and volunteer for various events put on by the Alumni Center. Spirit rallies are always my favorite because they’ve gotten better and better throughout my time at Virginia Tech. The dance team performs, a ‘Capella groups come sing, cheerleaders lead chants, and we’ve even had Coach Beamer, the football team and the Hokie Bird show up to meet with all the students. It has really meant a lot to be so closely tied to Virginia Tech through class office and SAA.

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Do you have a favorite Hokie tradition?: My favorite Hokie tradition would have to be jumping to Enter Sandman before football games.  I’ll never forget the goosebumps I got the first time I was in Lane Stadium jumping and screaming at the top of my lungs!  It’s such an incredible feeling to be a part of a huge school but also feel connected at that one point in time.  Football games bring everyone together… (whether we win or lose).virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

What’s your favorite spot on campus?: The Pylons have always being my favorite spot on campus. The 8 columns stand for: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) – Brotherhood, Duty, Honor, Loyalty, Leadership, Service, and Sacrifice.

We were lucky enough to have the Pylons all to ourselves (for a split second) to grab this shot! Amazing!virginia_tech_blacksburg_portraits_Brett Denfeld Photography

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Love this lighhhht!

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What was one of your favorite classes at VT?: I loved my Marketing Channels and Logistics class,  mostly because my professor was incredibly engaging! He was also the only professor I ever had that still used chalk and a chalkboard instead of a PowerPoint to teach!  We always talked about things that were relevant to the world and he really wanted us to understand how everything connects together.
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She’s quite the character, eh?
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So pretty!!!virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

How has being in a sorority changed you?: Kappa Delta has been a huge part of my time here at VT.  I have grown so much since Freshmen year because I have had so many smart, driven role models to look up to.virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photographyvirginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

I know it’s impossible to pick just one, but what is one favorite Virginia Teach memory?: I will never forget the opportunity I had to be a counselor for Hokie Camp. Hokie Camp is a two day camp in the summer for new students. It was fun getting the students excited about coming to Virginia Tech!  Over the course of those two days, I got to see the campers make new friends, become so closer, and push their worries about moving away from home away. We played team-building games, canoed, swam, and more. I remember being so tired from barely sleeping, but I just kept cheering and yelling every second to make sure my campers were having a great time.

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**Side note: We parked behind a dorm building to snag these! People probably thought we were crazy… but the light was pretty there!**virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_PhotographyMorgan-VT-blog-92_WEB

Just for fun…

What are your top 3 favorite songs or artists?: Country music is my absolute favorite!  I love Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, etc. I’m really excited to see Dierks Bentley in July! My favorite country song is, “It’s a great day to be alive” by Travis Tritt, because it always puts life into perspective and gets you to truly think about how lucky you are to simply be alive!Morgan-VT-blog-152_WEBvirginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

What are your plans for Summer?: After graduation, I am travelling to Europe with 4 of my college friends for a month!  We’re going to 4 different countries and 9 cities like Barcelona, Spain, Santorini, Greece, Paris, France, and Cinque Terre in Italy! I was lucky enough to travel in Europe last summer and even more excited that I am able to go back so soon! I’m can’t wait to see even more beautiful places!  I’ll also be taking WAY TOO MANY photos of course to document my trip… and half of them will be food haha!virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

Name 5 things you couldn’t live without:  OATMEAL. Coffee.  Peanut Butter.  Pizza.  Pasta.Morgan-VT-blog-183_WEB

What is something people might not know about you? Well… I’ve been scuba diving in Cozumel, Mexico and went skydiving in Pennsylvania!558673_10150902626764626_1879807000_n_WEB250246_10151144048149626_1199815471_n_WEB

The serious stuff…

The most asked question… what are your plans for after graduation?: I’ll be moving to Charlotte, NC to work for a marketing/sales company called Red Ventures. My position is an inside sales role within the company and I’m excited to see where it takes me.  Red Ventures is growing very quickly and I can’t wait to be a part of it!virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photographyvirginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

What are you looking forward to the most in the upcoming year?: I’m excited to be out in REAL LIFE!  I know I’ll probably eat my words in a year, but the thought of moving to a completely new city that I really don’t know that much about is really fun to think about.  I’m living with one of my best friends from VT (and there are a bunch of other people I know that will be living there too), so I know I’ll have some friends that will be there for me.virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography

We had a crazy two days, but we had a blast! I obviously overloaded this post with photos because I just COULDN’T decide on which to cut… Morgan is a beautiful person inside and out! I may be biased because she’s my sister, but it’s 100% true! I had one last question for Morgan…

What does it mean to be a Hokie?: It’s almost hard for me to answer this question without sounding cliché. Being a Hokie means being a part of a family and a community that focuses all of its energy around encouraging you to be the absolute best person you can be, as well as always being there for others. One would think that with such a huge campus, it might be easy to get lost in the crowd, but actually, it’s the complete opposite. As soon as I started school (well really, it began at orientation), I learned what it felt like to be a Hokie, and honestly it can be summed up in the simple phrase “Ut Prosim”, which is the University’s motto, meaning “That I May Serve.” To me, this motto means many things: serving those in your community when they need a helping hand, serving friends and family through thoughtfulness and acts of kindness, and even serving yourself. Serving yourself is not selfish. Serving yourself means taking care of yourself physically and mentally so you can live a full and happy life, which in turn allows you to support and give back to those around you. Throughout my time at Virginia Tech, I pushed myself in my classes and asked for help when I needed it to better understand the material. I have served myself in the sense that I got involved in clubs and organizations that allowed me to grow as a leader. I made sure to treat others with respect and surrounded myself with people who I felt appreciated and cared about me as a person.

“Ut Prosim” holds such a strong and powerful meaning, and I believe that the meaning is unique to each and every Hokie, past and present, and yet it is something that binds us together. So…..overall, being a Hokie means being a part of something soooo much bigger than yourself, and it is something truly special that will be a part of one’s life’s story forever.virginia_tech_senior_blacksburg_photographer_Brett_Denfeld_Photography


I love you Morgan! I’m so lucky to know you and be your sister and can’t wait celebrate your graduation next month!!!

XOXO, Brett