EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University journalism students are channeling their personal experiences from the February 13, 2023 campus shooting into their reporting as they mark the third anniversary of the tragedy that claimed three lives.
WATCH BELOW: MSU journalism students cover their own campus tragedy
"All I felt was panic," said Mikia Lawrence, a senior at MSU who vividly remembers receiving the active shooter alert three years ago.
Lawrence was downtown eating dinner with her boyfriend when police cars began speeding down the road toward campus.
"I just remember violently sobbing," Lawrence said. "I felt guilty, because all my friends and roommates were back in our dorm."
Now, as a journalism student, Lawrence faces the challenge of covering the anniversary while processing her own trauma.
"It's a hard balance of trying to find time to have the time for myself to process it each year while also covering it," Lawrence said.
Lawrence and her fellow journalism students spent the week leading up to the anniversary both remembering the victims and reporting on the ongoing impact, using the experience to develop skills they'll carry into their careers.
"In the Journalism school they teach us how to report on trauma, but it's different in this case because it's a shared trauma," Lawrence said.
Senior Sloane Barlow believes their unique perspective as survivors helps educate the broader campus community.
"We're the only class right now on campus that was here when it actually happened, so it's also about teaching underclassmen what it really means to us as a Spartan community," Barlow said.
For Lawrence, combining her personal experience with her professional training creates a meaningful purpose.
"It makes me feel like I'm doing something good with what I'm going to school for, because I have the ability to cover things like that, but I also have the sensitivity as someone who's gone through it," Lawrence said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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