Survivors from Sandy Hook Elementary School, who endured the tragic 2012 mass shooting, are marking a significant milestone as they graduate from high school more than a decade later.
The private ceremony at Newtown High School, attended by around 60 survivors, symbolizes their journey of strength and resilience after the devastating events.
Graduating students expressed a mix of feelings.
“The shooter actually came into my classroom. So I had to, like, watch all my friends and teachers get killed, and I had to run for my life at six years old,” Emma Ehrens told CBS News.
“Just growing up with having the fear, and the what-ifs of what could have happened if I stayed?” she said.
Another survivor, Lilly Wasilnak, said: “You wait for this day for your whole life, since you’re in kindergarten.
“You just can’t wait to graduate. And it felt so far away for such a long time… but I think we can’t forget about that there is a whole chunk of our class missing.”
The tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, carried out by a 20-year-old with multiple firearms, left a lasting impact.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary still stands as the most deadly in a US elementary school.
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