Yesterday’s announcement by Governor Kaine, Carilion and Virginia Tech on creating a new medical school in downtown Roanoke was a tremendous boost for the RN region (Roanoke and New River Valleys).

We have a three-week intern who started with us yesterday. She went to this event and other meetings throughout the day. Being somewhat skeptical of the future of the region, I asked her what she thought after one day of learning more about some of the companies and projects in Roanoke. Her response, "I had no idea all of this was in the works." She did a 180 on the future vision of Roanoke.

I asked her what  her friends would think if they had been exposed to some of the same things she had been exposed to during the day, she said they would be impressed too.

We must get more isolated young adults better connected to individuals from older generations in order to learn more about the current events and projects of the region. If a strong connection like this existed, I believe you would hear this phrase a lot less - "There is nothing to do in Roanoke…"