- Students are trimming and caring for memorial flowers around campus to create a space of healing and remembrance.
- Professor Kellie Keys, from Wakulla County, was moved by a similar effort after a 2018 tragedy and wanted to give back to her campus in a meaningful way.
- Watch the video to see how the gesture has brought students together in shared grief and resilience, turning tragedy into unity and hope.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In times of tragedy, communities find ways to come together.
“It really helps me cope with it and be comfortable being on campus again,” says Sarah Paskiewicz
For students at FSU, that begins with flowers.
“A lot of people keep coming and putting more flowers and more plastic down, so we’ve been coming back as many times as we can, cutting all that plastic off, getting rid of the rubber bands,” says Paskiewicz.
Paskiewicz is part of a group of students led by Professor Kellie Keys, who are maintaining flower arrangements across campus after last Thursday's shooting. Their goal is to bring peace and healing to a campus shaken by tragedy.
“There’s a lot of pain on campus, and I wanted to do something," says Kellie Keys.
Keys, from Wakulla County, was inspired by a similar gesture following the 2018 shooting that deeply impacted the FSU community. After seeing flowers placed around campus in tribute, she knew she had to help in a similar way.
“To support each other and to support our campus and to show our love for campus and for each other,” Says Kellie Keys.
Before this, Keys and her students were involved in a cleanup effort to protect Wakulla Springs, preventing trash from traveling into the water. Now, they’re continuing that work by beautifying campus and providing support during this difficult time.
“It was really helping us too, to heal and so we’ve been doing that,” says Kellie Keys.
For students like Paskiewicz, it’s more than just about the flowers.
“The most beautiful thing about such a tragic event is it brings everyone together,” says Paskiewicz.
The group plans to care for the flowers as long as the community needs them.
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