Valentine’s Day of 2018 was supposed to be like any other Valentine’s Day. Couples hand in hand, kids giving each other love notes, confessing to your crush. These things were all on my mind that faithful day during my freshman year I was attending a High School in Miami, Florida and I was just starting to feel safe and assimilated at my new school. Later that afternoon when watching the news at home I learned of what happened at Parkland. Nickolas Cruz disguised himself as a student and was granted entry into his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, where he proceeded to shoot several people with an AR-15 he purchased himself. 17 lives were lost that day. Teachers were killed. Students were killed. Several freshman students were killed. At that time I was barely 15 and I had never been more scared in my life to go to school the next day. I cried in my mother’s arm begging her not to leave me there.

After the shooting Florida schools began issuing IDs, all kids had to wear so no one would be able to sneak into a school as Cruz did. My school hired a personal police officer to stand guard outside 24/7 after we’d gotten a couple of threats over the phone. Although I wasn’t there that day and my fears and trauma could never amount to whatever the victims of this shooting felt, an impact was still everywhere. Something horrible happened on our turf and it just felt way too close to home. Students all over Florida began protesting. We had moments of silence, walkouts, signs made. We did everything we could to make our voices feel heard. Sadly, We realized no matter how many people lost their lives, no matter how many tears were shed, nobody was ever going to listen to a “little kid”.

I was made to write an essay about how stricter gun laws were necessary. Our language arts teacher asked us to include statistics and valid information to support the gun laws we mentioned. As I sat thinking about what I could write, I realized there was no need for statistics. The valid information was that people were dying. Mothers, fathers, children, were being shot dead. A 19-year-old with a history of mental disorders was able to buy a military-grade weapon but in this country, he couldn’t even purchase a beer. I stood in front of my class and read out my paper with statistics and all.

I desperately wanted to see some change. I wanted to be one of the voices who brought about the change for those who couldn’t speak up. I wanted to stomp up the steps of the white house and scream at the top of my lungs for gun reform. But who would have ever listened to a little girl who never touched a gun in her life? Those adults who clutch their precious assault rifles and automatic weapons and chalk up their use to safety and protection would never listen. Those adults in the White House who stay afloat through NRA funding would never ever listen. Those adults who say we kids don’t know anything about politics would never listen. We are just children in their eyes.

But I knew who listened. Alyssa, Scott, Martin, Aaron, Nicholas, Jamie, Chris, Luke, Cara, Gina, Joaquin, Alaina, Meadow, Helena, Alex, Carmen, and Peter all listened. They listened to gunshots flying through the air and into their bodies. All their classmates and co-workers listened. They listened to Nickolas stalk through the hallways and gun down their loved ones. Their parents listened. They listened to news reports confirm the death of their kids. All of them had to listen to something that could have easily been avoided.

I realized in order to bring real change, I had to make those adults listen to me. For the 17 who lost their lives. For the 17 families who lost a son or a daughter. For the numerous gun violence victims around the country. For a better tomorrow.

I had used to think that when you wanted to change things in the world you had to wait until you’re an adult. Since most adults don’t take children seriously and believe they are too young to understand the world around them. I used to believe this since there are many things, I wanted to change but I believed that I didn’t have the power or the tools at my deposal. When I was 17 years old, I realized that I was being a coward and I could change the world around me.

When I was in middle school and throughout high school, I saw on the news about school and mass shooting in public events. I always though that the events were tragic and sad, but I thought the event will eventually fade away in my mind. In my junior year in high school, I saw and read about the Stoneman Douglass High School Shooting. I saw the videos that the students posted online and the interview of the student who told their narrative of the events. When the student saw the how the government would do nothing to help, the students decide to stand up for themselves. This amazed me because usually when I see protest about gun shooting it would be adults talking or politicians avoiding the topic of gun control. I saw how students who were close or around my age talk about a nation-wide protest and saw them acted on it.

The student of Stoneman Douglass High School made a nation-wide protest all by themselves and tried their hardest to get the gun control law passed especially ban the weapon that killed their classmates. I saw that despite their young age and criticism from adults they pushed through to complete their goals. I saw how there are many young adolescents who can change the world, and they didn’t wait until they were older or richer to change the world. This event inspired me to take charge of my life and how I don’t need to be wealthy or old to accomplish my objective.

When hearing that schools would be returning to in-person classes in the Fall, I immediately worried for the safety of me, my family, and others around me. Though the mask mandate is still in place, many people are refusing to wear them, still believing them to be helpless. Cases have been going back up, which translates as “We’ve been wearing masks this whole time and covid is still here, therefore, masks are useless and I don’t need to wear one.” to those who believe the mandate is optional. Vaccines are out, and while many rushed to get them as soon as possible, a large percentage of the country protest against them. “It’s a hoax”, “The vaccine isn’t safe!”, “I’m not putting that in my body” despite that the vaccine has been deemed safe and effective. While the vaccine does not fully prevent the chances of an individual catching covid, it has proven to lessen the effects and prevent hospitalization. These “covid hoax” are comments I frequently see posted all over social media, discussion boards, etc. Sometimes, it’s difficult for me to comprehend how people even come up with these, it seems like they are making up fake information and spreading it online to influence in the opposite direction, toward the danger that a further outbreak could cause. Recently, I have begun to participate in these discussions, letting people know just how important it is to go out and get vaccinated, but even after that to continue wearing your mask. Not only for your safety but for the young children who cannot get vaccinated and are put at greater risk. “Life needs to go back to normal at some point” was the most recent comment I read, and I agree, but the only way to do that is to get vaccinated. 

As this thing known as a pandemic now known as Covid-19 started, it led to many changes in society as well for people’s lives. People began to live with fear, death rates increase rapidly, it was the year where many people had to be alone in a room just by themselves to prevent getting covid. Schools shut down, theaters, movies, places that were to socialize and spend time with family were all just closed down. People had no other place to go but just home, you turn on your television, and there it was the pandemic news. To inform the city that rates are increasing and that it was just getting worse and worse, that was the life of a person living in the year of the pandemic. Scientists looking for a way to stop the spread and prevent less deaths, which took them at least a year to come together and figure out a way to keep people safe.

We enter the new year and it was all over the place, vaccinations. But there were people and still till today people believe that the vaccine has no benefit. But each person has the right to make their decision on being vaccinated or not but it just caught my eye how many people started to get vaccinated trying to keep society safe. But not only that also on how many people just decided to live without a vaccination because of their beliefs but there were other ways to stay safe like keeping distance, and like wearing a face mask.

Students did not get much of learning, people lost their jobs as well family members. I believe if society agrees to one thing there would be a way to go back to once what we called reality. It just caught my attention and how all this all just started and in one single eye of a blink everything shut down losing opportunities. But with vaccination, it might help us and live our normal lives and be safe.