Thank you for the opportunity to speak, and I am honored to be here tonight on behalf of the entire student body.
Ten days have passed … 10 days have passed since our campus experienced an event that has changed all of our lives. And in the mist of it all, we experienced many different emotions: confusion, anger, sadness, disbelief.
As our normal day transformed into something any of us could not have imagined, it was hard to believe such an event could ever happen here, did happen here.
During this last week, I have had the chance to witness something incredible: the Huskie spirit. I have watched my fellow students and my fellow student leaders frightened, but proactive. I have seen students offer a shoulder to cry on, organize fundraisers, vigils, make ribbons, and most of all, be there for one another.
What has happened here, in the middle of our grief, is the true Huskie spirit. The true Huskie spirit exemplifies, at its core, a sense of oneness and resilience. A Huskie spirit that chooses to remember what happened in honor of those we have lost along the way. And I am confident this spirit will guide us all into a time of healing. Let us continue to embrace this Huskie spirit as we return to our classes tomorrow and never stop believing in it.
In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote from the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes:
I give thanks because I believe,
I give thanks because you believe;
therefore the manifestation of our belief is inevitable because we believe.