{"id":7436,"date":"2024-12-03T12:24:34","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/?p=7436"},"modified":"2024-12-03T12:24:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:24:39","slug":"empty-rooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Empty Rooms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Photo Courtesy CBS News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive, the radiant grin that SpongeBob brought me was enough to help me get through class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That joy was shattered when the usual buzzing and chatter of the classroom was silenced by the severity of her voice. A chill ran down my spine as the word \u201cshooting\u201d escaped her lips. My heart sank further when I heard the principal\u2019s callous response to the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf some kids die, then it was their time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, fear follows me to school. The thought of what could happen\u2014not just in my classes but to me\u2014makes setting foot outside my house terrifying. Questions that no child should ever have to consider raced through my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if this is the last time I see my family?\u201d or \u201cWhat should I do if anything were to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a mentality no child should carry, yet it has taken root in the minds of students everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been taught how to follow lockdown procedures\u2014how to hide, where to run, what to do. We\u2019ve been trained to save our lives in a place most call their second home. Fear has been instilled in us at a young age\u2014a fear that no one, especially children, should bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen how that fear changes people. I\u2019ve lived through it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years have passed since that day, and now I\u2019m in college. Recently, my girlfriend showed me a CBS News report\u2014a heartbreaking look at the realities of school shootings. Created by CBS reporter Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp, the piece explores the bedrooms of some of the victims, capturing a glimpse of their lives before they were taken too soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One photo stopped me in my tracks: Dominic Blackwell, a victim of the 2019 Saugus High School shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His room was filled with joy, with memories, with life. And on his face in every picture was the same bright, beaming smile I had come to associate with SpongeBob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked around my own room, filled with SpongeBob merchandise. That smile that once brought me comfort now felt hollow, stripped of its warmth. It was no longer a symbol of joy but a reminder of what Dominic\u2019s smile once represented\u2014a life cut tragically short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was only 14. Not much older than I was at the time. My heart goes out to Dominic, his family, and all the victims and their loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some might say I have no reason to be afraid anymore. I\u2019m an adult. I\u2019ve left high school behind. I no longer have to run drills or practice lockdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the fear remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It consumes me as I walk from the fieldhouse, past the Bronc Trail, toward the library. It whispers that my life could be taken unexpectedly. It reminds me that I may not get the chance to make amends, to say goodbye to the people I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m left asking the same question over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen will this fear end?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":7437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[490,41,680,720,112,721,319,26],"class_list":["post-7436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns","tag-childhood","tag-fall","tag-fall-2024","tag-kids","tag-rgv","tag-spongebob","tag-tv","tag-utrgv"],"yoast_head":"\nEmpty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Empty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Valley's Student Station\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202-1024x677.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"677\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leonardo Guajardo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leonardo Guajardo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Leonardo Guajardo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c711c87c7713b525a86659135c3d779e\"},\"headline\":\"Empty Rooms\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\"},\"wordCount\":530,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Childhood\",\"Fall\",\"Fall 2024\",\"kids\",\"RGV\",\"spongebob\",\"TV\",\"UTRGV\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Columns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\",\"name\":\"Empty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Empty Rooms\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Valley's Student Station\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Valley's Student Station\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/output-onlinepngtools-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/output-onlinepngtools-scaled.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":946,\"caption\":\"The Valley's Student Station\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c711c87c7713b525a86659135c3d779e\",\"name\":\"Leonardo Guajardo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bcec7c104565033ac26163f17c3bca73def0ab75f48b2e75a33d1a1d5a416b52?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bcec7c104565033ac26163f17c3bca73def0ab75f48b2e75a33d1a1d5a416b52?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Leonardo Guajardo\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/author\/leonardo-guajardo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Empty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station","description":"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Empty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station","og_description":"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive","og_url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/","og_site_name":"The Valley's Student Station","article_published_time":"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":677,"url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202-1024x677.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Leonardo Guajardo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leonardo Guajardo","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/"},"author":{"name":"Leonardo Guajardo","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c711c87c7713b525a86659135c3d779e"},"headline":"Empty Rooms","datePublished":"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/"},"wordCount":530,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202.png","keywords":["Childhood","Fall","Fall 2024","kids","RGV","spongebob","TV","UTRGV"],"articleSection":["Columns"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/","url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/","name":"Empty Rooms - The Valley's Student Station","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Column1202.png","datePublished":"2024-12-03T18:24:34+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-03T18:24:39+00:00","description":"A bright yellow smile filled my screen\u2014the one I had leaned on for years to lift my spirits. Blissfully naive","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/empty-rooms\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Empty Rooms"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/","name":"The Valley's Student Station","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#organization","name":"The Valley's Student Station","url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/output-onlinepngtools-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/output-onlinepngtools-scaled.png","width":2560,"height":946,"caption":"The Valley's Student Station"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c711c87c7713b525a86659135c3d779e","name":"Leonardo Guajardo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bcec7c104565033ac26163f17c3bca73def0ab75f48b2e75a33d1a1d5a416b52?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bcec7c104565033ac26163f17c3bca73def0ab75f48b2e75a33d1a1d5a416b52?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Leonardo Guajardo"},"url":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/author\/leonardo-guajardo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7438,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7436\/revisions\/7438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utrgvradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}