20
The College of New Jersey Magazine
n the afternoon of February 14, 2018 — Valentine's Day —
I received a text from a friend saying shots had been fired at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Alyssa, the oldest of my three
children and my only daughter, was a freshman at the high school.
I got in my car and drove as fast as I could. I parked on a sidewalk and
just started running toward the school. There was yellow tape across
the road, from tree to tree. Law enforcement said I couldn't go any
farther. We were half a block away. I found Abby, my daughter's best
friend. I said, "Abby, where's Alyssa?" She didn't know. A few minutes
later, Abby received a text. I saw Abby's face and said, "Abby, what's
wrong?" She said,
"Alyssa
O
was
shot."
