A school shooting close to home.

DSST: Cole Middle School, the school I started at when I moved to Denver, was victim to gun violence near campus where a student was critically injured yesterday.

As a 19 year old at Virginia Tech on April 16th, I remember how devastating, disorienting, and emotionally exhausted I felt the day of and days after the tragedy. The only clarity on the days following the tragedy was in the decision to help. When my classmates and I organized a candle light vigil to honor the lives lost, performed acts of service, held each other sobbing when we were too weak to stand, and became more united as a community than ever - none of it ever felt like a conscious choice, it was all there was to do.

For this to happen to kids in middle school is beyond my comprehension. That disorienting feeling that I felt as a teenager returned upon hearing the news of my former school. But where there is hurt, there is hope. Where there is tragedy, strong communities come together and become stronger than ever - and I know that Cole will band together and will support one another just as we did as kids at Virginia Tech.

Today, students at our school wrote notes of support to the Cole community during this challenging time. There were over one hundred notes written, but these two resonated with me the most. Sending all my love to my Cole Dragons.