Introduction to a Tragic Event
Every time there’s a school shooting anywhere, it strikes a nerve in Parkland, and over the past 24 hours, the Florida State University students from the community are feeling a dreadful sense of déjà vu.
Someone firing a gun on campus, everyone going into lockdown mode, a sense of panic. The graduates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School know that feeling.
Revisiting Trauma
“It stayed with me for a very, very long time after, and I think yesterday just kind of resurfaced a lot of those feelings in probably the worst way possible,” said MSD High School graduate and FSU sophomore Alexis Weinberg. “I started to panic, honestly, because I was just, I was thinking there’s no way this is happening again, this can’t be real, and all I could think about is I can’t believe I have to text people and make sure they’re alive for the second time.”
Personal Connections to Tragedy
“I immediately went into panic mode, brought me back to 2/14,” said Broward School Board member Lori Alhadeff, referring to Feb. 14, 2018, the day a gunman killed 17 people inside MSD High School.
Alhadeff lost her daughter, Alyssa, in the massacre. Now her son, Robbie, is a student at FSU, so imagine the emotions when she saw the alert on her phone.
“This is so painful for us to relive this, relive a school shooting,” Alhadeff said, acknowledging that her son is still traumatized by losing his sister. “Absolutely, it’s just opening up that wound.”
“I had that same feeling, couldn’t believe it was happening for the second time,” Robbie Alhadeff said.
He told us he thought of Alyssa when he got the alert about an active shooter on campus.
“So I like, ran home and a bunch of other people were running, it was like, a disaster, honestly, it was terrifying,” Robbie told us.
Experiences of Other Survivors
Stoneman Douglas graduate Lexi Padowitz is a freshman at FSU.
“It’s definitely scary and frustrating that this has happened in my home town and I see that a lot and feel that a lot and coming to Florida State, it’s good to get away from that and it’s found me here, too, it’s going to continue to find me everywhere, unfortunately, because that’s the kind of world we live in, there’s no change happening,” Padowitz said.
FSU senior Caleb King spoke to us via Zoom while he was walking in the woods.
“I decided I needed a little getaway, so that’s why I’m in the middle of a forest right now, it was all so surreal, I think every Parkland feeling I had that day just came rushing back,” King said.
He was a freshman at Douglas in 2018, and he can still hear the gunshots from that tragedy in his head. Being a double school shooting survivor has altered his outlook on life forever.
“No matter where you go, you’re thinking this is the perfect place for a shooting,” King said.
Conclusion
The recent events at Florida State University have brought back painful memories for the graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The feeling of déjà vu is overwhelming, and it’s a harsh reminder that the trauma of school shootings can stay with individuals forever. It’s crucial for society to acknowledge the long-lasting effects of such tragedies and work towards creating a safer environment for everyone.
FAQs
Q: What happened at Florida State University?
A: There was an incident involving a gun on campus, which led to a lockdown and a sense of panic among the students.
Q: How did the graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School react to the incident?
A: They felt a sense of déjà vu and were reminded of the traumatic experience they had in 2018 when a gunman killed 17 people at their high school.
Q: How can society help individuals who have experienced trauma from school shootings?
A: Society can help by acknowledging the long-lasting effects of such tragedies, providing support and resources for mental health, and working towards creating a safer environment for everyone.
