I believe in Joe

We were driving back to Connecticut from Pittsburgh after a grueling weekend of visiting probably about the twentieth college along the East Coast and Midwest.  I was so sick of looking at colleges, going on tours, and being less than impressed at every single one.  While driving back, my mother saw a sign for Penn State.  She asked if I wanted to swing by on our way home.  I had a feeling that she was becoming increasingly agitated with my unenthusiastic reactions to each school after visiting them and just wanted me to pick one already.  So I agreed to the swing by.

I can't put into words how I felt after just stepping onto the Penn State campus amidst the call and responses of "We Are!" and "Penn State."  The campus tour, being the longest one by far of any of the other schools I visited (3 hrs), was an experience I'll never forget.  It was incredible, and I was in love.  I only applied to two schools, being an out-of-stater, it's really hard to get into Penn State, so I applied to one school as a back up in case I didn't get into Penn State.  Just as I'll never forget the campus tour, I'll never forget receiving my acceptance letter.  And I'm sure my mother remembers how excited I was.  Given that I was a moody teenager at the time, very few things made me feel excited to the point that I would verbally express them, so this was certainly a memorable moment for those around me.

I could go on to talk about how Penn State changed my life on many different levels, and more than that, Penn State lead me to State College, a place which to me is my home.  I've never loved a place so much.  But I want to talk about football.

When I told my dad that I was going to Penn State, he freaked out.  Apparently, my father was and is a huge JoPa fan and has been "since 1968!"  He's followed his career since he was a kid.  He never really talked about college football with me as a kid or teen because, why would he?  Needless to say, my dad was so excited that I was going to Penn State and from then on, I never heard the end of his love for JoPa and why he is so great.

My first day at Penn State, after meeting my roommate Alex, a huge Penn State fan, we walked to the football stadium and decided we would go to the football games together.  More than that, because I'm usually up for anything, she convinced me to go to Paternoville with her the following weekend.

I didn't know what it was at the time, but Paternoville became a very significant part of my Penn State career.  From my very first Paternoville the first weekend I was at Penn State until my very last semester, I can count on one hand the amount of times I DIDN'T camp out for days before a football game.  Some of the most memorable Paternoville camp-outs being the week long camp-outs at the end of October.  I would be frozen to the core, exhausted, unable to sleep because of the cold, my only source of warmth ever being the few short hours I left my tent to go to class, but what kept me going was the intense pride and joy I felt standing in the front row of the student section in the stadium ferociously cheering on my team and occasionally catching a glimpse at JoPa on the sideline.

Penn State has given me so much.  And Joe Paterno has given me a hero, someone to believe in and look up to. I always will look up to JoPa.  I admire him, I think he is an incredible person who did incredible things for my Alma Mater.  Nothing will ever change that.

I could go into how I think that it's a sick world when the media, given a horrible story, instead of focusing on the villian or villains of the case, instead put all of their focus on a celebrity, bystander, and in essence, a scapegoat.  That just tells me that something about the real story is not being told.  Our focus has been shifted away from the people who committed the crime.  And no one is questioning this? 

It's a mad world, and I don't understand it.  I have strong feelings about the events have pasted at Penn State, but I didn't intend for this post to become a rant.  So I'll just say this.  In this crazy mixed-up world where blame is displaced, focus is shifted, and the media controls all of what we are told and lead to believe, there are incredible individuals who stand out.  They are few and far between, but they are there and they are good, well-intentioned, and inspiring.  Joe Paterno is without a doubt one of those people.  And I think it is a complete and utter shame if people don't see that or no longer see that due to biased media attention (where's the morality in that?)

I don't believe in a lot of things, but I believe in Joe.  For me, JoPa is Penn State.  Nothing can tarnish that for me, because I know what's right and good.  And that's Joe Paterno.


We are, Penn State.