On Wednesday, June 1, I started my internship in Los Angeles, more specifically, in Westwood. As I was going through orientation and learning the ropes of the office, I got texts all at once asking if I was alright and if I had heard about the shooting. As confused as I was, I quickly went to Google and social media to learn what had happened.
A gunman, Mainak Sarkar, 38, was a doctoral student and Minnesota resident who shot a UCLA professor, William Klug, before taking his own life.
After reading articles explaining the situation, I couldn’t help but text every person I know that goes to UCLA. Thankfully, all my friends and family were safe and out of the area. Authorities say that Sarkar accused Klug of stealing his computer code and giving it to someone else. This was found to be undoubtedly false.
Additionally, police raided Sarkar’s apartment and found a potential "kill list" with the names of another UCLA professor and a woman in Minnesota, who was later found dead by gunshot wound and identified as Sarkar’s estranged wife, Ashley Hasti.
This unfortunate situation brought a lot of motive rumors to the table. At first, I heard that he was mentally unstable and that Sarkar just did not like his professor. Next, I heard that he hadn’t been able to pass his exams to earn his doctorate and that Klug was the professor that failed him. This really made me think about the pressure of the school system to make something out of yourself.
In this day and age, there is so much pressure on young individuals in college or graduating to make something great out of themselves. Not only that, but to do it immediately after graduating. We have a collective belief, as millennials, that not only do we have to have a perfect GPA, but we need to be involved in all parts of our campus, work a job in the field we’re looking for, make constant connections to industry executives and be famous on social media. All of this may seem ridiculous to someone not of this generation, but it’s a real and present kind of danger to this world. We are all so consumed with being everything at once because otherwise, we aren't taking advantage of this world. And while I agree with taking all opportunities you're faced with, you cannot do everything at once.
I turn this article around a bit to focus on the mentality young individuals in and out of school to tell them that it’s okay. Failing a class or an exam may seem like the end of the world at the time, but there will be room and time to redeem yourself. The sooner you ignore the thoughts that everything in this world is “not capable of putting on a resume” or not “good enough for your Instagram feed,” is the sooner you will enjoy this life.
While I am not sure the background of Sarkar’s mental health, I’m sure the pressure from society/school went to his head. Do not allow yourself to succumb to the pressure, existing only on a surface level.
