Uvalde in Their Own Words: Student survivor turns to advocacy, says 'my voice is important'
Caitlyne Gonzales at age 10 survived the mass shooting that unfolded in nearby classrooms at her Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. Twenty-one people, including her best friend, Jackie, and her cousin, Maite, were killed.
Caitlyne faced post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of the massacre. But she still wanted to use her voice for good and says advocacy has helped her heal.
The now-11-year-old -- in between softball practice, karate, music classes and therapy -- is calling for police accountability at Uvalde school board meetings, pushing for gun control at rallies in Austin, Texas, and speaking out in support of a national assault weapons ban in Washington, D.C.
Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.
On May 24, everything changed. I was at my awards ceremony that day, earlier before the shooting. As soon as we got to our class, we heard the gunshots. ...
I heard the screams. I had to duck from a bullet that went over my head. And like, just from that, I have PTSD, I have anxiety, panic attacks. ...
I like to come to the cemetery to visit my friends -- it brings me comfort. ...
The change I want to see in gun laws is, like, ban assault weapons. Or not even that, just like, to raise the age to buy one. ...
My voice is important because we need more people to show up to the meetings, we need more people to show up at the rallies. We just need more people in general to support us. ...
I won't ever stop fighting for change, unless it gets done.
Interviews have been condensed for length
