In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that claimed seventeen lives, high school students across the nation are demanding change from U.S. citizens and politicians. This past week, teenage survivors of the massacre have stood tall in the media spotlight, using their voices to call for gun reform. They have named their movement "Never Again", to perpetuate the idea that these mass shootings are avoidable and we never need to see another one again. They're already gaining attention and supporters for their cause, and many people I know have remarked verbally and online that "this one feels different", largely because of their call to action.

Unlike other school shootings we've witnessed, the survivors aren't young children. Many members of the "Never Again" movement are MSD High seniors, about to enter college, almost at the voting age. And they're using social media, a cornerstone of our generation, as a platform to directly challenge politicians and reporters.

They're also using their voices to refute the typical stories and claims circulated by media after mass shootings, such as that the real issue is bullying or that people politicize the tragedy too quickly.

Talk show hosts like Stephen Colbert and James Corden have used their shows as platforms to promote "Never Again" and to amplify the students' voices. Several celebrities have also reached out and donated to the cause, including Oprah Winfrey.

In addition to this, they're speaking out on national television, speaking with wisdom, vision, and raw emotion. Emma Gonzalez, a senior at MSD, gave a particularly moving speech in which she "called BS" on members of U.S. Congress.

They're also organizing rallies and walkouts all over the nation. The March for Our Lives will happen in cities across the United States, including Washington D.C. on March 24th.

High school students are also showing solidarity with a school walkout on April 20th, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

These young visionaries will not sit idly until they turn eighteen. It has taken years of mass shootings to reach this point, but we're finally here. We, as a generation, are finally demanding change through social and political activism.

Hope is not lost. The "Never Again" supporters will continue to protest, speak out, walk out, and fight for justice. This shift in a sense of hopelessness to hopefulness may be exactly what we need to finally reform our outdated gun laws and lack of firearm regulations and prevent another horrific and avoidable tragedy like this one. So stay #MSDStrong and join us so that we can truly say #NeverAgain.