I am a proud graduate of Columbine High School. I grew-up in Littleton, Colorado and remember the day of the shooting perfectly. I remember the way my parents held me after that day, and the grief that spread across the county, and country.

This week has turned into a time of grief in the United States. There have been numerous tragedies during this week in April: the Oklahoma City bombing, the shooting at Virginia Tech, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the shooting at Columbine High School, and now the Boston Marathon bombing.

Hours after the bombing in Boston, hundreds of organizations across the country united to figure out what they could do to help. The Portland Marathon Club ran in Portland, and here at PSU there is already a used shoe drive at the REC center.

Something I will never forget is the community that was built in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting. Even though I was only in first grade when it happened, I share a bond with every student that has attended my high school.

Now that I’m in college, I still think back to my high school community. Moving away to attend school out-of-state was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Today I appreciate my hometown more than ever, and it will always be a part of who I am.