“No one belongs here so tear this fucking place down or I’ll kill you all Thursday,” read the black graffiti, contrasting starkly against the cream plaster of the schools exterior. The text, spray painted on the crisp walls of 1903 Jefferson, was not the only threat to line my school. Several other messages scarred the exterior of the building, all of them jarring and all of them permanent. While now painted over, those messages still sit on the outside of my school, a cloaked but constant thread in the fabric of my educational career.

I found out about the messages a few hours before the official announcement was released. Rumors and photographs had already begun circling the community, and I was made aware promptly. My heart sank at the sight of them. I’ve gone to the same school for 11 years. Often times I spend more hours there in a week than I do in my own home. It is the community I share with friends, role models, and family alike. Suddenly, this community is struck by an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. A place we have all grown to love and trust just doesn't feel safe.

We are immediately met with accommodations and support. The city rallies around the school, the messages are made invisible, and the perpetrator is apprehended. It took 72 hours with the tireless work of the administration, local authorities, and the FBI, along with the postponement of the first day of school; but as quickly as the case opened, it closed. In the world of Sandy Hook and San Bernardino, it feels miraculous. It forces one to raise the question: Would this have been handled differently if it were a different school?

New Orleans has the seventh highest murder rate in the nation. For reference, that places us 16 slots above Compton. Surely there are other areas in need of help. The waiting list for police assistance has to be miles long, and FBI must have other obligations. What makes our small school of around 1000 students such a high priority?

Many will say the answer lies in the tuition.

As a private school, Newman charges a sizable sum for a place on the roster. Because of this, the school has many luxuries. One of these is the ability to protect our campus.

Newman had the luxury of doing everything right. That isn’t to say that credit isn’t due to those who so gracefully and cautiously navigated this situation. Still, it is notable that while many schools struggle to keep guns and drugs off campus daily, we were immediately able to seek the assistance of a private security firm. We were able to gain the assistance of the FBI hate crimes unit. We were able to access the security footage of people in the surrounding area, because people in the surrounding area had security footage.

I never had to worry that we would catch the perpetrator, I never feared that my campus would become and unsafe place, and I never feared that the police had anything but my best interest in mind. It was a safe and stable situation, quickly cleaned up like, let's say, spilled paint.

So what does this mean? I’ve never been one to claim coincidence, but I can only chalk it up to luck that I was born into the life I live. A life where I can feel nothing but excitement knowing I will be stepping foot back on that campus in 48 hours. No fear crosses my mind, even in the wake of these tragic events. Still, it hurts my heart to know that on any and every day, there are students in my community who do not and cannot feel the same, who are not able to find this comfort and security in their communities, and for whom school is not a safe place. It pains me to know that for many in New Orleans, education comes with a warning label, and a class room can feel more like a cell. Even worse, I could not sincerely say to you that I believe this situation would have been handled the same if it had been a different school, in a different neighborhood, with a different student body. Even though I'm sure the individuals at those institutions would work as hard as our community did and the greater New Orleans community would share a concern, I doubt that the situation would have been resolved the way it was at Newman. Even though those families deserve to feel safe just as much as mine does, we live in a community, city, and world of haves and have-nots. Resources are finite. That’s what fuels an economy. I learned that in my freshmen civics class, with my laptop on my desk, a meal in my stomach, and a quiet room all to myself to study in at home. I studied for that class at my dad’s office, and ran flashcards in my moms Volvo. That’s not to say I didn’t study to learn that fact, but its also not to say that when your mom works at a university you never struggle to find flashcards.

There are kids who go to school less than a mile away from me who struggle to find flashcards.

I am beyond fortunate to go to school full of caring teachers and administrators, involved parents, and full of safe facilities. I may work hard at that school, but I have to be honest with myself: I don’t deserve this education any more than any other kid. I don’t. Because we all deserve it. Everyone deserves a quality education, even and especially if their parents can’t buy it for them. I know that the incredible people at my school would agree with me.

Newman community, I encourage you to take this frightful experience as a wake up call. We are lucky enough to have the resources to call this a one time occurrence. There are many who do not. Our school stood strong as a community this week. Still, we are never members of only one community. We are a powerful piece of the New Orleans community as well. I encourage everyone to channel the fear they might have felt this week into a passion to make our city safer for everyone, not just those with the privilege to make it safer.

I’ve always been taught to give back. I learned that at home, but I also learned that at Newman. We are a community of innovators, thinkers, and givers. This week was scary, but it is no longer the time to fear. It is now the time to learn, as we always do. We gained some perspective this week. What are we going to do about it?