I am, officially, a Roanoker.

Four years ago I had dreams of being a small town girl in a big city. With two older sisters living in New York City and Charlotte, NC, metropolitan lifestyles seemed to be something in our DNA. Or so I thought… A natural philanthropist, I knew my heart’s greatest desire was to change the world! That may not have happened quite yet, but over the past four years I have made my mark by changing and saving lives through Children’s Miracle Network, a national non-profit that provides equipment and services for local hospitalized kids. Literally starting work the Monday after graduating from Radford University I knew Roanoke needed the services this wonderful organization offered, so I made it my mission to open the first ever Southwest CMN office, and now as Director, the rest is history.

A Kiwanian, YMCA member, and new Southwest home-owner, I have found all that Roanoke has to offer more than just “satisfying”. My daily routine is relatively similar…a morning stop at the Crystal Springs 7-11 where I never fail to exchange smiles and stories about the weather with Luke, the head cashier, followed by interactions with individuals who impact me more than they probably realize…and it is these daily habits that I am not able to live without.

Yes, Roanoke is home to the Star, Center in the Square, “cheesy in a bowl“, and the Roanoke River…but I believe it’s TRUE claim to fame are the people. While every attraction and venue compliments and completes the city, the people and their southern hospitality are what truly make Roanoke home for me. I have graced the October 2006 cover of The Roanoker magazine, been voted Roanoke’s most eligible bachelorette by The Roanoke Times, and placed in the top 3 in Miss Virginia USA representing Roanoke, but no experience triumps a smile from a stranger or a warm handshake from an old acquaintance…Roanoke’s citizens have truly stolen my heart!

• Erin’s Occupation: Director, Children’s Miracle Network, Southwest Virginia

I am a Roanoke Valley native, born at Lewis-Gale Hospital! I left Roanoke briefly after college, but I always knew that Roanoke was where I wanted to live. Cave Spring High School provided me with excellent education and prepared me well for college. I hold a bachelors degree in communications and a master’s degree in counseling and student affairs administration from Radford University. I currently work for Jefferson College of Health Sciences, located in the heart of downtown Roanoke.

Roanoke offers a wide array of hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities. There are many social networks for young professionals to join—everything to the Square Society, NewVA Connects, and the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few. The Star City offers great restaurants, wonderful entertainment (Opera Roanoke and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra), and cultural opportunities (Art Museum of Western Virginia and Center in the Square). There is always something going on around town!

The Star City is a great place for young professionals to start their career. Not only are there job opportunities, but living expenses are more affordable than in other urban cities in Virginia! Plus, the fact that we do not have to deal with long commutes to work is an added plus!

I am excited for what the future holds for young professionals in this city. I am happy and proud to call Roanoke my home. I truly believe that Roanoke is a great place to live, work, and socialize!

• Sarah’s Occupation: Jefferson College of Health Sciences
• Sarah’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA
• Sarah’s Social Profiles: Facebook

Never in a million years did I think that I would fall in love with Roanoke. After attending Roanoke College in tiny Salem, Virginia for four years, I desperately wanted the world to be my oyster. Thoughts of moving to Charlotte, D.C., Atlanta, and NYC and seeing the world sounded glamorous and exciting, but the closer it came to graduation, the more I realized that I wanted to stay exactly where I was. Not only was I comfortable with my beautiful surroundings, but I really felt as if could really make a difference living in the Roanoke area.

With the connections that I had made through my involvement at Roanoke College as an English major with a communications concentration, I quickly found myself writing fashion articles for Bella Magazine for a brief time. Additionally, I became the Human Resources Technology Specialist at Delta Dental of Virginia, which has been a blessing to work for a great company.

Growing up in Winchester, VA my parents were extremely active in the community and taught me at a young age to get involved and give back. I became involved in the Junior League of the Roanoke Valley and The Contemporaries, which has allowed me to meet so many incredible people. Whether it’s chatting about our latest read in our book club with a few glasses of wine from Wine Gourmet, letting our dogs run loose at Six Wags Dog Park, taking a hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway, or gobbling up some s’mores at the Fork in the Alley, my friends and I are always having a blast.

I really am an advocate for living in the Roanoke area, especially when I hear my friends who live in large cities complaining about their high cost of living, long, dreaded commutes to work, and not feeling as if they’re a “part” of they live. In Roanoke, you can make a difference and your voice will be heard—not to mention that the connections you make here will help you throughout your life. I’m blessed to live in this area and look forward to many more days in the Roanoke area.

• Lauren’s Occupation: Human Resources Technology Specialist, Delta Dental of Virginia
• Lauren’s Hometown: Winchester, VA
• Lauren’s Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace

I am a recent college graduate who wants to change the world. Typical story, I guess, but I chose an atypical location and am so glad I did. Growing up in Northern Virginia and graduated from the University of Virginia, I decided that I wanted to move to a friendly city rich with non-profits, with less congestion, a lower cost of living and slower pace of life, surrounded by nature. I wanted to develop a career in non-profits that would allow me to better the community in which I lived. I soon discovered that a great way to do that is to move to Roanoke and work for United Way of Roanoke Valley. When I started last May at United Way, I really had no idea of what driven people and a great organization can accomplish. I am learning about the challenges that the Roanoke Valley faces, but I also see how many people there are here that really want to make a difference. This community encourages me to do big things and I am excited about what the future will bring.

I got my idealistic notions through my involvement with Alternative Spring Break (ASB) at UVA as a participant and on the Executive Board as well as some non-profit internships. I learned from ASB that there is always something we can do to help someone and that I wanted to seek out these sorts of opportunities. I still hang on to this ideal, and am now leading an ASB trip through United Way. I believe that the young people of today are true change-makers and I want to mobilize them to enact that change.

Upon moving to Roanoke, I realized that I wanted to be a part of showing young professionals here that they have the power to really affect a community for the better and that Roanoke is a great place to do it. United Way of Roanoke Valley is creating a Young Leaders Society (name to be determined) to bring young professionals together with goals of service, philanthropy, awareness, and personal professional success. I am happy to be working on the project with some great volunteers and successful young professionals from our community.

I am excited for what the future holds for young professionals in the Roanoke Valley and young people in non-profits more specifically. I am so happy to call the Roanoke Valley my new home with its relaxed, friendly, and encouraging atmosphere. I believe Roanoke to be a great place to live, work, relax, socialize, explore, grow, and most of all, make a difference.

• Jas’s Occupation: Development Manager, United Way of Roanoke Valley
• Jas’s Hometown: Fairfax County, VA
• Jas’s Social Profiles: Facebook

I grew up on a farm near Abingdon, Virginia – a small town that is near the Virginia/Tennessee border. My entire family still lives in Abingdon, and I knew I didn’t want to move too far away after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2004. I was attracted to Roanoke, which is about two hours away from my hometown, when searching for my first job because I felt the city provided opportunities and plenty of things to do for people my age, yet still fostered a sense of community and felt a little like home.

I have found that Roanoke is a great place for a young person to start their career. There are job opportunities here, but rent and other living expenses are much more affordable than other urban areas in Virginia. We don’t have to deal with the long commutes and traffic either! I also like the way that Roanoke Valley neighborhoods form their own communities. I love to participate in my neighborhood’s events! It makes me feel like I am living in a small town within a city!

After living here for four years, I have some great friends and loved ones. Roanoke feels like home as much as the place where I grew up, and I don’t expect to be moving any time soon!

• Natasha’s Occupation: Student Activities Coordinator, Virginia Western Community College
• Natasha’s Hometown: Abingdon, VA
• Natasha’s Social Profiles: Facebook

I was born and raised in Roanoke and was lucky enough to come from a very large, close-knit family. Growing up I started to realize how great a value living in Roanoke is compared to other cities. I was graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2007 and chose to come back to Roanoke. I received job offers in other cities but had long ago decided that Roanoke was where I wanted to start out.

Although I did not end up working for a company based out of Roanoke, I decided to start an office in Roanoke. Working for Advanced Planning Services has given me the chance to start a regional office in Roanoke instead of Richmond or elsewhere. In fact, our company is just a couple of spots ahead of another Roanoke company, Atlantic Credit and Finance, in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest growing private companies list! I also recently joined the golf committee for the National Kidney Foundation tournament held at Ashley Plantation. Coming back to Roanoke was definitely a great decision!

Having always loved downtown, I recently purchased a condo at The Candy Factory on Salem Avenue. Downtown is becoming so much better than I had heard it described when I was a child. With exciting new restaurants and bars opening, I have no fear that when entertaining out of town clients there will be no shortage of things to do. With the good friends I have that chosen to stay and start something in Roanoke, and with the unbelievable golf community I have grown up in, I know that I will have no shortage of friends or fun in the years to come with the good friends I have that chose to stay.

• Barry’s Career: Mid-Atlantic Brokerage Director, APS, Inc
• Barry’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA

After my dad retired from the military in 1997, our family moved to a little town called Bedford, Virginia. I spent my teenage years there and, after graduating from high school, ended up attending college 45 minutes away at Hollins University in Roanoke. I originally didn’t want to even look at women’s colleges, but when I walked on campus I fell in love with it. I was impressed with their academic programs (especially the English/Creative Writing department), small class sizes (my largest class had maybe 30 or so students), and the sense of community (fun traditions like Tinker Day).

I have so many wonderful experiences from my time at Hollins. I met my best friend there my freshman year who I am still very close with. I spent a semester in London through the Hollins Abroad program, which was an amazing opportunity I will never forget. I wrote a screenplay for my honors thesis - which I submitted to the Virginia Screenwriting Competition in 2007 unfortunately I wasn’t a finalist, but I got some good pointers to improve the script). I worked part-time at Community School across the street from Hollins, which is a wonderful private school that I would send my kids to if I’m still in Roanoke when I start a family (whenever that may be… I’m still looking for Mr. Right!).

I really liked what Roanoke had to offer. So when I received an email from the Hollins Career Center last March about a job opportunity at the Veterans Affairs Roanoke Regional Office, I jumped at the chance and was happy when I found out I got the job. I’m so thankful that I found a great job which not only has good pay and benefits, but is helping out veterans get the benefits they deserve.

As I’m writing this, I’ve been at the VA for nearly nine months (it doesn’t seem that long!). I’m living in an apartment with my crazy but loveable cat and recently started taking ballroom lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Center. I also became a member of the Methodist Church I attended regularly while at Hollins.

Life is great here in Roanoke, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I stayed here for a long time!

• Kristen’s Career: Veterans Service Representative at the Department
  of Veterans Affairs

Since college at Virginia Tech, I’ve always been fairly close to Roanoke, but had never really gotten to know it until recently. I had the opportunity to work in the area for most of December, and I really enjoyed everything from the warm people to the incredible views. Berlin is great for the time being, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to Roanoke in June, so I can become a permanent part of the community and brew some great local beer to share with the rest of the city.

• John’s Career: Proprietor, blacksburgbrewing.com
• John’s Hometown: Richmond, VA
• John’s Blog: brewschool.blogspot.com