A survivor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who is set to graduate from high school this week, is looking forward to starting a career where she can help others as she was helped after the horrific tragedy.
Ella Seaver was just 7 years old when 20 children and six adults were killed at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. Good morning America.
In a joint interview with five of her fellow soon-to-be graduates, Seaver said her own journey to recovery inspired her to want to become a therapist — and that she decided on her future career about “a year after the shootings.”
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“I’ve been in and out of therapy almost my whole life, especially after filming, and it’s really just helped me cope and learn about myself,” Seaver explained. “So I want to try to pay it forward and help people who have been through gun violence, or even people who haven’t, who are just struggling in their everyday lives.”
Some of Seaver’s classmates also said the shooting experience influenced their decision to pursue careers in politics and law.
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Seaver still finds it hard to talk about the shooting more than 10 years after it happened “because of how traumatic and painful it is,” she said. But it was helpful to have classmates who shared and understood the experience.
“For me personally, when I can talk to these five other people, it’s kind of comforting, because you have that bond that will never go away,” she added.
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The six students who spoke with George Stephanopoulos believe the tragedy that struck their school will “shock people and wake everyone up” about gun control.
Seaver specifically wants to see “regulations on AR-style assault weapons,” like the one used in the 2012 attack.
“I think one of the hardest things is getting people to see eye to eye on that,” she added. “And I think that stops a lot of the regulations and laws that, unfortunately, are costing more and more lives every day.”
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Source: HIS Education