Ilana Badiner, now a 21-year-old senior at Florida State University (FSU), faced a tragic déjà vu on Thursday when a shooting occurred near her location. Seven years prior, she was an eighth grader at a school adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the devastating shooting that claimed 17 lives in Parkland, Florida. Reflecting on the incident, she recalled her instinctive reaction when chaos erupted in the student union while she attended a bowling class.
During the recent shooting, which resulted in two fatalities and several injuries, Badiner was alarmed to see students fleeing and abandoning their belongings. Despite the loud music, she sensed an emergency and quickly alerted her bowling instructor, Stephanie Horowitz, a Parkland survivor herself. The atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of her experience during the Parkland shooting.
Sophomore Brianna Jade Freedland, also a veteran of the Parkland tragedy, was working out at the gym when she heard cries of “active shooter.” She and her roommate sought refuge in the women’s locker room, joining around 125 others who were gripped by fear and anxiety as memories of the prior shooting resurfaced. Freedland recalled the terror of hiding under her teacher’s desk for three hours during the Parkland incident, a fear that washed over her again as she waited in the locker room.
As police responded to the situation, Badiner found herself in a state of shock, recalling the sirens and lockdowns from years ago. She sought solace in the fact that she and her peers were safe in a holding room while they monitored communications confirming the incident. However, anxiety surged as she wondered about the shooter’s whereabouts and the fate of those outside.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the campus was filled with vigils, drawing attention to the tragic recurrence of such violence. Badiner expressed frustration over reliving these experiences and the ongoing need for meaningful changes to gun laws. A sentiment echoed by Fred Guttenberg, the father of a Parkland victim, highlighted the brokenness in the system that has allowed such incidents to persist.
The emotional toll of these events has been significant for survivors like Badiner and Freedland, whose experiences from Parkland shaped their responses to the recent crisis. As Badiner prepares to graduate this May, she reflects on her resilience and the need for a safer environment, not just for herself, but for future generations. While she slept with a candle warmer for comfort after the incident, the memory of previous traumas lingered, igniting a desire for change in policies surrounding gun violence. In a world where such tragedies seem to repeat, the call for safety and reform continues to resonate among those impacted.