On March 14, I participated in the walkout and memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting one month ago. The walkout started at 10:00 am and lasted for 17 minutes for the 17 lives lost in the shooting. Students who participated were asked to wear black and orange to honor the school’s colors.

As I walked out of my third period when the bell rang, I was surprised by the masses of students leaving their classrooms at once. Everyone who walked out did not look happy or excited but sad and solemn. It was completely silent as hundreds of students walked out to the stage in the quad.

The closer I got to the stage, the more I noticed what was on it. There were chairs sitting on the stage, each one attached to a balloon with a victim’s name on it. Each name was represented by a faculty member or student.

The memorial started with a speech by our ASB president, focusing less on guns and more on making an accepting community so no one feels alone. Then the obituaries of every victim were read by a students or faculty member, their corresponding balloon cut away after the obituary was finished.

I was not only touched by the ceremony but the response from students participating. We were thousands of miles away from the shooting yet we were all affected by it. We were grieving together and wanted to let Parkland know that we were there for them.

Throughout the whole ceremony, one thing stayed the same. Everyone was silent. We had no words for what had happened, all we knew was that an event like this should never have to happen again.

As the ceremony ended, I watched as the crowd split and groups of friends found each other and clung on, comforted by the support of their loved ones. Even though we could not be sure if something like this would ever happen to us, we knew we would be there for each other no matter what.