Survivor of Parkland, Florida shooting to speak at GVSU

Samantha Fuentes, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, will participate in an event sponsored by the Educational Foundations Department in the College of Education.

Fuentes was a senior in high school when the shooting took place in February 2018. Seventeen people were killed; Fuentes still has shrapnel in her legs and behind her right eye. She has since traveled the country speaking about gun violence and also works closely with Angel Faces, an organization that serves girls who have endured trauma.

The event, "Safe Learning Environments for our Students," will take place February 27 from 6-8:30 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium in the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. 

The program will begin with a short documentary ("G is for Gun") followed by a presentation from Fuentes and a panel discussion with four GVSU faculty members. Panelists include Chasity Bailey-Fakhoury, assistant professor of educational foundations; Scott Berlin, associate professor and director of the School of Social Work; Gwenden Dueker, associate professor of psychology; and Susan Harrington, associate professor of nursing.

For more information, contact the College of Education at (616) 331-6650.