For college students, one of the most popular conversation starters is "Where are you from?"
Six years ago, I never thought this would be a problem. I never thought my hometown would leave people speechless, would leave people at a loss of words. But on December 14, 2012, a gunman walked into my former elementary school and took away 26 innocent lives.
This past month marked six years since that dark day, and six years later, my college self has realized "Where are you from?" is no longer a question and it won't ever just be a question for the rest of my life.
Tragedy will impact you for a lifetime. Sometimes it's quiet and just sneaks up on you while you're driving or talking to a stranger. Sometimes it's loud and is all over news headlines or Twitter posts. Either way, when tragedy strikes a community, no matter what the tragedy is, it influences that community forever.
It's not just about that one day, or the one month anniversary or the one year anniversary. Tragedy is timeless. I just wish someone warned me this before I moved into college three months ago.
Confronting people about where you're from and explaining your personal story was never something that crossed my mind. Even when the school shooting happened, I never thought to myself this is going to come back up in conversation when I go to college or when I go to apply for jobs.
And now, when it does come up in conversation, people don't know what to say. Sometimes I just get "Oh, like where 'it' happened? I'm so sorry."
For young people who are currently coping with tragedy, don't be afraid to be vulnerable and have a conversation about where you're from or what you're going through. Be proud of who you are, be proud of the resilient town you call home. For young people who are interacting with those who have been impacted by a tragedy, don't be afraid to say more than just "it."
Be respectful, yet be curious and ask questions. Sometimes the "it" is an elephant in the room and just makes it worse. In fact, sometimes acknowledging what happened with more detail shows empathy and care.
More importantly, don't be afraid to stand together and create some sort of change. I encourage you to share your stories and create awareness on your college campuses for issues that are currently troubling the nation. People will follow you, people will stand by you. 2019 is near and our generation is increasingly becoming the voice of the people.
Do not be afraid to make this our generation's year to continue this stream of political activism, to create global change, and to really make a difference. We are finally experiencing the world for ourselves and seeing things in different lights. We are living independently and making our own decisions. I encourage you to embrace this adulthood, to embrace this new chapter of your life, for all that it is.
Make it your job to stay informed, go to marches, go to rallies, have conversations, and use that voice of yours, especially for those who can't.
At the end of the day, this world needs more love. And sometimes a conversation, a hug, an acknowledgment of something more than "it", can make "Where are you from?" that much easier. Because when you ask that simple question, you never know how much potential it has to be much more complex.
