Nessa Bleill sits in her sophomore-year bedroom with posters taped to the yellow walls and pop music playing softly in the background.
On the desk is a photo of a curly-haired dog named Mac and a round dish holding jewelry. Stacked on top of the jewelry is a red pin with “survivor” printed in bold, white letters.
Bleill was 16 when she survived the 2022 Independence Day Parade mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois…