Photography by Kylie Cooper | Reporting by Ariana Perez-Castells and Kylie Cooper

Graduation in Uvalde gives tragedy-stricken town a night of normality - The Texas Tribune

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On a blistering Friday night at the end of June, the Uvalde High School Class of 2022 was finally able to walk across the stage.

The ceremony had originally been planned for May 27, three days after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers. It was rescheduled to June 24 — exactly one month after the tragedy. The 18-year-old gunman had been in the graduating class before dropping out.

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While many of the students took the event to remember those lost — who were their family members, relatives of friends, and neighbors — the graduation was most importantly an opportunity for the town to come together and celebrate.

 

Reporter Ariana Perez-Castells and I spent five days in Uvalde connecting with community members and were fortunate to spend time on graduation day with Gabby Quirova, a senior who wants to be a teacher and had seen many of the children the day before the shooting. Gabby hopes to one day teach in Uvalde and protect future students.