Kyle Barger

On average, the typical eighteen year old, college student, studying in the United States has not seen much of the country, let alone most of the world, which is what makes Kyle Barger so amazingly unique and so incredibly one to be envious of. Aside from seeing traditional United States infamous landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the typical Oahu out west in Hawaii, Kyle has seen a good portion of Europe, Canada where he visited Niagara Falls, and even Africa. In fact, Kyle mentioned that he “actually took [his] first steps” in Hawaii as a child.
Kyle started his travels out very young. Before even his first steps in Hawaii he went to Africa, where his mother actually lived and was raised. Even still he was a young boy when he took his third out of country trip. This was when he went to Niagara Falls in Canada. He says that he was so young, he only briefly remembers “standing in a cave in the cliff watching the water fall right in front of [him].” For spring break in the fifth grade Kyle went to Europe, where he visited three countries, including; Switzerland, Germany, and France. There he got to eat “a lot of great food and did a lot of sight-seeing like the Alps” said Kyle.
One trip in which Kyle actually stayed in the States was when he was ten. He went to New Mexico and then up to Colorado, where he white water rafted on the Colorado River. He also went to Four Corners, and visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona, all in one trip! The summer before Kyle’s junior year Kyle had the chance to choose where he wanted to go as a graduation gift, he chose to revisit Hawaii, seeing as the first time he went he was only one or two years old. He stayed on both the islands of Oahu and Honolulu. There he got to experience snorkeling in a volcano crater, and got to see many “famous landmarks like Black Sand Beach, Diamondhead Crater, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor,” and even “volcanoes erupting.” Kyle described. Kyle mentioned how “It was cool because the first trip I could say I took my first steps in Hawaii but the second trip I can say I drove in Hawaii.”
Beyond large trips Kyle has done some of the more typical, smaller trips such as going to the beach, Disney World, whale watching in Maine, and visiting the monuments in Washington D.C. One great reason he got to take all of these mind bottling trips is because “he has been a pleasure to be with, to do things with, and to take places” His mother explains. Kyle’s family travels so often because they believe it is “important that we get to know and appreciate all kinds of cultures and people” describes Martha Barger, Kyle’s mom. Kyle considers himself a family person, due to his travels, he says it has brought his family closer together, which also has a lot to do with why he chose a college so close. Kyle enjoys spending time with his family and friends and so Virginia Tech seemed like an ideal college since he is from Roanoke, which is around 45 minutes from campus.
Kyle was naturally shy as a child and did not expand who he was close to much outside his family which also has made the impact on the family guy he is today. Kyle explained, “I hated talking to people that I didn’t know and I wasn’t willing to go out and try new things.” Kyle’s mom describes his shy attitude as “his easy-going, low-demand personality.” However she admits “He spent as much time hiding behind my leg as walking beside me! When people would speak to him he would duck and hide.” Ironically, despite his shy personality as a child he did get to go outside the country and experience life outside the States.
His family definitely helped him to become less shy, “For years we worked with him until he finally reached the point where he would look people in the eye and speak to them!” states Martha Barger. Kyle has made quite the shift in the past five or so years. Martha mentions how Kyle “didn’t like to try new things” however “he has learned that there is a world of opportunity out there, and reaching it almost always requires those first steps into the darkness of the unknown.” Kyle gives much credit to him coming out of his shell to his best friend, Jared, whom he met in the seventh grade. Kyle said, “Jared has always been really outgoing and talkative so we were complete opposites” however “he kept inviting me to hang out with him and he showed me all the stuff he was interested in and he would push me to do things that I didn’t really want to do or was too afraid to do but I did them any way. So slowly but surely I started to grow out of my shy phase and I got into a lot of new things and picked up a lot of the same interests that Jared had.”
Kyle has made a miraculous change in personality most people do not experience. “I’ve become a completely different person than I was for the majority of my life.” Kyle describes. “Kyle has found his own personality and confidence!” deems Martha. “If he feels shy inside, he does a good job managing it” she continues. This new spectacular Kyle that has risen to the surface has “lots of things he enjoys doing now because he [is] willing to try!” quotes Momma Barger. The best way to describe Kyle now is in the words of his mother, Martha Barger, “Fun…Kyle is fun to be around …he loves to jet-ski, play sports, play electronic games, and travel. Kyle enjoys the fun part of life as much as anyone else I know!”