4 region in northwest Italy they referred to as Valdosta鈥檚 sister city. On the Metro from the airport to the hotel, we met a woman whose husband had graduated from VSU. They were all very excited to share their affiliation to the Blazer Nation family with us. Now, you might ask, 鈥淗ow did you find these people?鈥� Well, my daughter works in the VSU Bookstore and likes to shop the latest Blazer gear with her employee discount, so she is generally an around-the-clock walking advertisement for the university. It鈥檚 funny because this sort of thing happens to us quite frequently. In August, while enjoying a weekend getaway with my daughter and nephew in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, we met VSU alumni at the hotel pool. Blazer Nation is not just confined to Valdosta or South Georgia; it鈥檚 everywhere, in every state, and in a growing number of countries around the world. My only child was among Valdosta State University鈥檚 Class of Fall 2017. Twenty years after she watched me receive my Bachelor of Science in psychology 鈥� she was 3 years old at the time 鈥� I watched her receive her Bachelor of Arts in art, Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and Honors College Certificate. She graduated summa cum laude and earned the President鈥檚 Award for Academic Excellence for the College of the Arts. It was an unforgettable moment for our mighty team of two. We celebrated with a trip to Washington, D.C. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, we met a woman whose granddaughter was also a VSU alumna, and we met a group from Valle d鈥橝osta, a People often ask my daughter why she chose to attend VSU. Besides the obvious cost savings of living at home, she tells them about all the opportunities she knew would be available to her beginning her freshman year. She did not want to have to wait until her senior year or later to start experiencing things like conducting research with her professors, studying abroad, presenting at professional conferences, entering academic and art competitions, learning how to enjoy outdoor experiences like whitewater letter from the editor JESSICA R. POPE