Prep Students Led the Call for Gun Control

"We're all out here today for gun violence that disproportionately affects black and brown communities and we're out here today for the students at Parkland," said 17-year-old Sarah DeSouza (XXXIV/St. Luke's '14, Packer), a key organizer of the National School Walkout rally in Brooklyn this month. A high school senior who has experienced lockdown drills at school since seventh grade, Sarah was inspired by watching survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting confront lawmakers on national television. She and fellow Packer classmates organized the walkout rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall, bringing together students, media, and local politicians. Fellow student Khaja Daniel (XXXVII/Packer), a ninth grader, bravely shared a heartbreaking speech at the podium about how gun violence affected her family.