Today, June 23, is the birthday of Reema Joseph Samaha. She would be 36 but died at 18, a freshman at Virginia Tech. Reema was the youngest of three children from a loving and close-knit family. She did everything well - a dancer and thespian, a soccer player, a student of languages, an academic with a focus on urban planning and international studies, and an extraordinary friend to all.
Although she lived her entire life in Virginia, she was international at heart - embracing her Lebanese heritage, attending a Greek Catholic Church, studying Middle Eastern languages and cultures, and minoring in French & International Studies at VT. Her family established a perpetual fund in her name to support students on her trajectory, excelling at academics and arts in addition to “loving people and life.”
Although her mother has continued to struggle in the years since losing her youngest child, she continues to feel her presence, she has accepted the loss and chooses to see the positives - “I had the privilege of being Reema’s mom, but [now] she belongs to the world….Like a firework that goes up in the sky and bursts, that’s Reema…the whole world got a piece of her.” The family has received letters from all over the world telling them how Reema has “brought strength, courage and more meaning into their lives.”
Reema was simply a student in the wrong classroom, in a building where the shooter chained the exits shut and commenced with his senseless, murderous attack. Even though he spoke of a desire to “repeat Columbine,” was declared “mentally ill” and ordered to undergo treatment well before the massacre, he fell through the cracks - he was not flagged in the background check database. Instead, he was allowed to purchase guns and steal lives. 32 people died, 17 were injured by gunfire, and 6 more were injured jumping from windows to escape. The killer committed suicide as police arrived on scene.
#sensiblegunlaws
#HonorWithAction
#virginiatech
1 окт 2024
