Almost 12 years after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, about 60 of the students who survived are getting ready to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.
They are carrying the burden of surviving one of the most deadly school massacres in the history of the US.
When the students were first introduced to Sandy Hook Elementary School, 20 of their classmates were killed in a violent attack on December 14, 2012.
Six of their teachers also died that day. While they are excited about their graduation, 17-year-old Lilly Wasilnak said they can’t forget about the other victims of the tragic school shooting.
As the students prepare to graduate, Emma Ehrens, who survived the attack by escaping from her classroom, said that she’s feeling mixed emotions about her upcoming graduation.
She also said that she’ll miss her teachers and the other students who were killed that day.
While she’s excited about her upcoming graduation, Emma is also feeling sad about the memories that will be lost when she walks across the stage alone.
She said that she’s hoping that the other students who survived the tragic incident will join her on the stage.
On the eve of their graduation, the students talked about their desire to become lawyers, therapists, or members of the legislature in an effort to prevent similar violent incidents against children in the future.
It has been a long time since they have experienced such a tragic event, and it shows how much they have changed since the tragic shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook.
One of the Sandy Hook survivors, Grace Fischer, said that the most important change needed following the incident was the regulation of assault weapons.
In 2022, Congress enacted the most comprehensive gun safety laws in the country.
Sandy Hook’s campaigners have been leading the way in demanding more changes.
Despite the various achievements of the Bipartisan Safety Communities Act, many people are still not satisfied with the legislation’s implementation.
They believe that it did not go far enough in restricting the access to weapons of mass destruction.
On June 7, 2019, six of the Sandy Hook students were invited to the White house to meet with Kamala Harris, the new head of the federal Office of Gun Policy and Violence Prevention.
They were also able to participate in a panel discussion about the importance of addressing gun violence.
Ella Seaver, 18, said that being able to share her story and work with such amazing individuals has made a huge impact on her.
The students said that being able to meet with such prominent individuals has made them feel like they are making a difference in the world.
They are committed to fighting for change and are not going to stop until they have achieved their goals.
Wasilnak added that she knew that she wanted to do something after the tragic incident happened.
It was very awful what happened to the students and teachers at Sandy Hook.
However, I believe that something bigger needs to be done to prevent such tragic incidents from happening in the future.
