Juliette Kayyem reflects on a mass shooting during a Brown University exam review in Providence, where two students were killed and nine injured, colliding with her long work on tragedies caused by gun violence. The experiences of survivors such as Mia Tretta and Zoe Weissman, including the 2019 Saugus High School attack that killed Tretta’s best friend, reveal how an entire generation carries layers of trauma into college life and beyond. Now studying at Brown, Tretta channels her pain into public advocacy, speaking at venues such as the White House and continuing to demand stronger gun laws and sustained support for survivors in the USA.