On New Year’s Eve, a celebration that was meant to bring in a joyous new year turned into a heartbreaking tragedy when a man driving a pickup truck went on a violent rampage through Bourbon Street,  a popular tourist destination in the city of New Orleans. The intentional incident, claimed the lives of 14 people and left many others injured. Later on, in front of The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, a Cybertruck exploded leaving many surrounding people injured.

“It is really terrible what happened, especially since it was so unexpected and was on a day where people were celebrating but many were left mourning instead, it is heartbreaking,” shared sophomore Maria Nordholz.

In the aftermath of tragic events, it is important that as a community all learn how to watch out for incidents like these.  It is natural to be caught off guard in these situations, but it is still important to be vigilant and aware of surroundings. Certainly, at any time anyone can expect that security measures will be heightened, particularly when involving large crowd sizes, yet it is imperative that in addition the ordinary citizen also do his or her part on behalf of themselves as well as the well being of others.

“I am usually very aware of what’s going on around me, but I don’t know what I’d do in a situation like this. Definitely, after this I will be more aware when I go into large crowded places. I hope that security is enforced to help prevent this from happening again,” shared sophomore Camila Echeverri.

“I hope that those recovering are doing well and for the families that are mourning, I hope that they find closure and peace during this horrible time,” said sophomore Ashley Gomez.