Patrick McAvoy’19
Staff Writer
Dear Merrimack Students,
Almost two weeks ago, there was a tragedy. An Ohio State student intentionally crashed his car into a group of students and stabbed others before being stopped by the police. This attack injured eleven students. Before the school year, the student who took part in these atrocities was ironically interviewed by Ohio State’s newspaper, The Lantern.
Abdul Razak Ali Artan seemed like any other student. He was Somali-born and raised as a Muslim. Interviewed for the Humans of Ohio State section, he said he just transferred to the university. “I wanted to pray in the open but I was scared with everything going on in the media,” he said.
He was fearful and nervous about his religion and his anger led to the destruction of his life and others’ lives. If he had told other people about his feelings, maybe he could’ve worked through them. This was a horrible event that could have been prevented.
Here at Merrimack, we have a close-knit community. We may have the same classes and maybe even see the same people every day, but we don’t always know what others are going through. Some may be struggling. This student was struggling.
If you are someone who is struggling, take a breath. It will get better. Everyone is going through something. Someone else might be going through something similar to you. If you have a problem, someone will have a solution. If you need something, somebody will be there for you. That’s the way it is at Merrimack.
Last week there was a tragedy. A student who felt disconnected from his school and peers did something horrible because he felt alone. If you are feeling alone, please speak up. Somebody is listening. We all have issues, but we are all in this together. We are all warriors.
The countless hours of sitting in our rooms studying for heartbreaking finals, the dreadful Monday morning wakeup call, and working hard will all pay off in the end. We are in this together. If you are feeling alone, speak up! Somebody IS listening.
Patrick McAvoy 