I was entering the freeway last week to return home to the Island from Brown University for the holidays as the news of a mass shooting first broke. It was Saturday, Dec. 13, and a horrific tragedy had taken place on my beloved campus of Brown University, where I am a senior. The shooter took the lives of two vibrant individuals and left nine others wounded. A tragedy, in the form of mass shootings, that seems to repeat itself across America constantly.
Brown University is a place where I uncovered my passions and made long-lasting connections with friends and professors. The tight-knit campus serves as a microcosm of cultural and academic diversity. A place where you can’t step out the door without seeing a familiar face. The university is composed of different pockets that enable students to find their community. Brown University has served as a second home and a first step off the Island for myself and multiple Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School alums.
The past few days have been a whirlwind marked by a wide range of emotions. The events first reached me through a text from my roommate, who was in a campus building at the time of the shooting. She said she believed there was an active shooter on campus…