Florida Shooting

All of his hard work was about to pay off. With lots of effort and work put in, Nicholas Dworet’s future was looking bright. He had just committed to UIndy’s swimming program on an academic scholarship, and had excelled at everything that he put his mind to. Dworet, along with 16 other students, were victims of the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook.

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day of love and affection, but on February 14, 2018, 18 year old Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and injured many others. Cruz was a former student at the Florida high school, and had a very troubled past. He began shooting his former school around two in the afternoon, armed with an AR-15-style rifle. Cruz shot and killed 17 students and staff members combined, and injured countless others. Among the victims was senior Nicholas Dworet.

Dworet was a hardworking individual, and had plans to study business. Being of Swedish descent, he was going to travel to Sweden and swim for their national team. Andre Bailey, the head coach for TS Aquatics, said that Dworet had worked hard to get from average to excellent. In the 18 months he trained at TS, he continually impressed and excelled. Bailey told Indystar that Dworet “went from middle of the pack last year to just being lights out. He helped put our program on the map.”

Survivors of the travesty are standing up for their fallen classmates like Dworet, and are advocating to make a change. Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the shooting, is a well-known activist for gun control. In one day, the eighteen-year-old went from being an everyday high school senior and leader of her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, to being an influential public figure. Gonzalez took on President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association on Twitter, with a strong following of over 1.14 million followers. She gave her “We call BS” speech on February 17 outside a Florida courtroom.

This travesty has sparked both sides on the topic of gun control. Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee responded unusually quick to the shooting, proposing gun control and safety bills days before their session ended. Even in this tragic case, there is always something to learn. More is being done about gun control, and people are using their voices to advocate what they believe in.