TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Thursday marked one week since a gunman opened fire near Florida State’s student union, killing two and injuring five others. A sixth person was hurt fleeing the scene.

FSU students are now trying to find a new normal one week later. Mya Melhoski is from St. Augustine and just days away from graduation.

“We finally get to have normal graduation and to have this happen is definitely very tough,” Helhoski said.

When she returned to campus days after the shooting, she felt called to write a letter.

“There were some really beautiful messages that people had written that I wanted to incorporate into my own ideas,” Helhoski said.

The letter turned into a way for Helhoski to reflect and try to make sense of the tragedy. She paid tribute to the victims and those who witnessed the shooting.

“It was very special to be able to sit on Landis and write a little bit, and in my classrooms,” Helhoski said.

Helhoski said it has been a difficult week as students and faculty try to find a normalcy on campus, but she and her friends are leaning on each other. She said they are grateful for the support from the school.

“I really thank the university for listening to the students when we said maybe we weren’t ready to return to class because it’s given us time to be together,” Helhoski said.

Her letter is a testament to the love she has for the garnet and gold, and a reminder that even in the darkness, the Seminole spirit will always shine.

“Hate will not win. In this family, love is unconquered,” Helhoski wrote. 

Read Helhoski’s full letter:

Unconquered, Even in Grief: A Tribute to Florida State University

This is a hard statement to begin, but I feel called to share a tribute to my University.

We all see these things on the news. Horrible things happen to good and unsuspecting people. We hear first hand accounts from acquaintances and friends, family and neighbors, about the horrific gun related tragedies they have experienced. But, we never expect to feel it ourselves.

When it’s your campus, your community, that distant pain and compassion becomes personal and real.

You can feel the weight of this tragedy in every corner of campus. The somber gun violence protests on Landis, the vigils and memorials by the Student Union and the Unconquered Statue, walking silently down Legacy Walk, the heart of campus that is usually flooded with energetic students, now empty and lined with tributes to the victims of Thursdays tragedy. From every bar in college town to every home in Tallahassee, we are hurting.

To those who felt or witnessed the mass shooting first hand, we are here for you. To the students injured, we wish you a fast and complete recovery. To Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba, we honor and remember you.

To those barricaded in classrooms, we hope you will never have to experience something like that again.

To the professors, first responders, and those who took a role of leadership in this tragic event, we thank you. You are heros and you will never be forgotten.

To the students in dorms and apartments, checking friends locations, texting messages of love, and sitting in angst while watching the news, may you process and recover from these events in your own time.

To the parents of all FSU students, I can only imagine the fear of receiving an active shooter alert on your child’s campus. The weight of receiving “I love you” and “I’m scared” messages.

To my fellow seniors, it is a great misfortune that yet another graduation milestone is marked by an uncontrollable and catastrophic event.

No one should have to bear the pain that gun violence inflicts.

Phoenix Ikner did not win.

Florida State University, its students, faculty and staff, alumni, and all those who love and support the Noles have each other.

Hate will not win. In this family, love is unconquered.

We reflect together, sharing hugs, tears, and messages of support. We recount our experiences with each other, because pain shared is halved. We continue to love one another and create new and special memories on this campus, because joy shared is doubled.

Although it feels strange, life is slowly returning to Tallahassee. Our community looks out for each other, offering service animals, snacks, and shoulders to lean on. In true FSU fashion, we return to the bars, because we work hard, love hard, play hard. We can’t let an assailant destroy the Seminole spirit and culture.

This is NOT normal. The frequency of these events is NOT normal. I urge you to speak out and speak up.

Please, call your representatives and make your voice heard. To any and all politicians and policy makers, Help us. Hear us. Save us.

Thank you to the University for listening to us, and giving us grace during this time.

Florida State University, I love you ❤️

May we never run out of flowers again.