(Photos by Tomás Diniz Santos)
ORLANDO | University of Central Florida students and faculty came together to remember and honor the 49 lives lost on June 12, 2016 with the annual “UCF Remembers Pulse” Vigil June 10.
Several local leaders spoke at the event including UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith.
“Healing is not linear. There are ups and downs and it takes time to heal,” Smith said. “It’s okay not to be okay.”
Smith, who plans on attending the public remembrance at the Pulse memorial site on June 12, said it’s important that we, as a community, help those who are grieving and those who are part of the Pulse-impacted community.
The UCF vigil was held in-person in the Pegasus Ballroom at the Student Union on the main campus as well as virtually for those who could not make it in person. The event honored the 49 lives taken at Pulse and celebrated the diversity and equality of the community.
Caleb Trent, a junior at UCF and vice president of the Pride Student Organization, said there is still a long way to go in terms of gun control and making sure tragedies such as the one at Pulse never happen again.
“It’s not just an attack on the LGBTQ community, it’s an attack on human beings. We are human beings as well, we’re all equal,” Trent said. “We need to do everything we can in our communities to prevent more shootings and to have some gun control. Enough is enough.”
The vigil took time to honor each individual who lost their lives in the Pulse shooting. As each name was read out loud by Valentina Diaz, one of this year’s 49 Legacy Scholarship recipients, a rose was placed in a small vase by a student who attended the vigil.
Cartwright said that when he first toured the UCF campus, one of the first things he saw was the mural tribute to two UCF students — Juan Ramon Guerrero and Christopher Andrew Leinonen — who lost their lives at Pulse. He added that it was that day and moment that made him proud to be selected as the UCF President.
“The thing that stuck out to me [about the shooting] is that in the end, it brought so many people together. An outpouring of support from around the world,” Cartwright said. “It’s remarkable that we’re at a place where we can continue to strive for inclusive excellence and being the model for the country and the world.”
You can watch the livestream of the vigil below.
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