REFLECTIONS
School Shooting Snuffed Out a Bright Light
Sunday marks 16 years since Virginia Tech massacre
Seen: It’s been 16 years since Virginia Tech lost 32 to gun violence. The shooter’s weapons-of-choice: two semi-automatic pistols.
Heard: The carnage at the Blacksburg, Virginia campus still ranks as the worst school shooting in US history.
Noted: Leslie Sherman, one of my former students, was one of those who died that day. Leslie, a sophomore, was in her Intermediate French class on April 16, 2007. She had recently celebrated her 20th birthday.
Quoted: A history and international relations major, Leslie cared deeply about the human condition. She was known for her loving attitude toward life and willingness to help others — the polar opposite of the fellow Tech student who shot her and her classmates.
“My favorite memory of Leslie is pretty simple,” said her high school track coach in one of dozens of articles commemorating her life. “It was her smile. She had a wonderful smile.”
