Rebuild Yourself Inc - Never Alone Scholarship

When I was a freshman in High school, I experienced a very traumatic event that I would not wish on my worst enemy. I was in one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history. I was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting took place. It was on Valentines Day, 2018. The day that’s known for love and happiness, turned into the opposite. Seventeen students/teachers were killed, and seventeen were injured. This event was mentally damaging to me with all of the emotions I experienced. Being a freshman in high school, I was not fully mature, as most high schoolers. But the aftermath of experiencing this event changed my mindset for the rest of my life. I would not have overcome this event or be who I am today without the assistance and support of my family and peers. This event impacted my teenage years by my community demanding change which influenced me to become strong and live for those who we lost. As teenagers, my peers and I were in disbelief and doubt throughout our grieving. But my whole community taught me important life lessons from this horrible event. One of the Iessons I learned was to enjoy every single moment you have with your loved ones because you never know when they will be gone. I lost my best friend, which is incredibly heartbreaking as I was only fifteen years old. I never would have thought of going to a friend's funeral at such a young age. This tragedy gave my peers and I unexplainable sadness and anxiousness. But the grieving with my community showed me how strong we were to grow from this. My classmates assisted me by understanding my pain because they went through it as well. If I went through what I had to alone, I wouldn't know how to cope, but I am thankful to have had my family and peers as amazing support systems. A major part that assisted me through overcoming this incident was my socially active classmates who demanded change. Less than six weeks after the shooting, students from my school organized the March for our lives which was the largest single day of protest against gun violence in history. Millions around the country, including myself, came together to protest our political leaders’ inaction in Washington D.C. “This allowed us to expand our understanding of gun violence and how it affects each community differently.” (March for our lives). Protesting in this march with my family and friends influenced me to use my voice and make a positive difference in the world. “Mission & Story.” March For Our Lives, 17 Mar. 2022, https://marchforourlives.com/mission-story/. Scott, H. R., et al. “A Systematic Review of Studies Describing the Influence of Informal Social Support on Psychological Wellbeing in People Bereaved by Sudden or Violent Causes of Death - BMC Psychiatry.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 29 May 2020, https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02639-4.