Dear WestConn Community,

As we approach December 14, we honor the children and educators lost at Sandy Hook in 13 years ago, and the survivors whose lives were forever changed — including some who now walk our campus as members of the WestConn community. The children taken that day would be young adults now, choosing colleges, beginning careers, and some may well have become Wolves. As we approach this day of remembrance, we hold them all with care. 

The children — They adored soccer, Snoopy, dancing, playing the piano, dogs, Legos, singing, drawing, Star Wars, ballet, superheroes, storybooks, helping their parents in the kitchen, leaving notes in lunchboxes, learning to read, and bringing joy through laughter. They were curious, gentle, humorous, fearless, kind, eager to learn, and full of life. Let’s remember each of these wonderful young souls.

Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana Márquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine F. Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison (Allie) Wyatt

The educators — Every one of them displayed remarkable courage. Their final actions were protective, instinctual, and grounded in love. They are heroes who acted in mere seconds, all to safeguard children.

Rachel D’Avino, therapist; Dawn Hochsprung, principal; Anne Marie Murphy, special education teacher; Lauren Rousseau, substitute teacher; Mary Sherlach, school psychologist; Victoria Soto, first-grade teacher

On that day in 2012, I was thousands of miles away — on my morning commute in Oakland — when news of Sandy Hook stopped everyone around me in stunned silence. I didn’t know then how deeply this tragedy shaped the people and communities I would one day call home.

Now, living here, I understand its lasting impact in a different way. Last weekend, Sam and I visited the memorial — walking the quiet circle, reading each name, and feeling the stillness of a community that carries both heartbreak and remarkable strength. That experience deepened what I see every day in this region: the quiet resilience of so many, and the responsibility we hold as a university to create a community grounded in compassion, safety, and care.

That experience deepened what I see every day in this region: the quiet resilience of so many, and the responsibility we hold as a university to create a community grounded in compassion, safety, and care.

Let us honor their memory through our actions — welcoming with compassion, weaving community with care, and widening the circle of support for all who carry this day within them. 

Very sincerely,

Jesse