Gun Violence is the theme for 1 students Path to College speech contest
https://spotonflorida.com/southeast-florida/3851074/terrified-to-go-to-school-gun-violence.html
by Luli Ortiz
Thursday, June 9th 2022
'Terrified to go to school': Gun violence is theme for teen's Path to College competition
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — After Parkland, it was the students who held protests and garnered the media headlines demanding tougher gun laws.
While Florida acted, it's now the federal government debating the issue.
A local student is now putting a spotlight on gun violence and how students feel about it in the wake of the Texas school massacre.
16-year-old Jeilyn Sevilla-Nuñez tells CBS12 News she chose this topic for this year’s Path to College Fellowship’s mentoring program student competition held in West Palm Beach Thursday afternoon, because she says it’s been an issue affecting society for so long -- but nothing seems to change.
“I should not go to school and think, is this the last time I’m going to say ‘I love you’ to my mom?” asked Nuñez.
She is hoping her presentation shows the community the urgency for tougher gun restrictions.
According to the CDC, for the first time in 2020, firearms were the leading cause of death in kids ages one-to-18.
“I want to make changes in this country. I want this country to take into account what’s going on currently and what changes we should implement in the future,” she said.
Even our teachers see how the repeated horrors of school tragedies disturbs their education.
“Many are terrified to go to school. Gun violence is a huge issue. It’s affecting them. It’s affecting their ability to concentrate in class,” said Christine Sylvain, founder and executive director of Path to College.
Jeilyn joins other teens across the country her age renewing the push for tougher gun laws.
Hundreds of March For Our Lives events will be taking place this weekend, hoping the attention will lead to changes.
“Sooner or later, we’re all going to be the leaders of this country. If we don’t establish the changes that we want made now, when are we going to? It’s important that we present our changes early on. That way in the future, we already know what we want to work on and how we want to build this country,” she said.