It has been a year.

That statement, that fact, just completely blows my mind. A year ago today, a senseless act of violence left a wonderful human being and friend dead in their own home.

It is difficult, getting over the sudden death of a friend. He is such a kind, funny, and warm hearted person. He worked hard for others and for himself. And then just suddenly, he is gone from the world.

I woke up the next morning hearing the news. I was so utterly confused, and for some reason I thought it was someone playing a really sick joke. But then reading the reports online, I learned it was anything but. I was in an complete daze, not sure really what to do. Then while in my Environmental Literature class, my professor asked me if there was anything wrong. She noticed I was turned off from the world. I burst into tears right when she asked, and I had to face the truth and tell her that a friend of mine was shot and killed the night before. My daze and confusion was my disability to find a way to react at the time.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I was going to school at a new campus at the time, jumping in at the middle of the school year, and literally had no friends. All I had were my professors and the occasional video chat to my closest back home. It was an awful transition back into school life. Then upon hearing the news, it was a complete breaking point for my stability.

Mitchell Dubey was a great friend to many people. I may not have been as close to him as others, but his friendship impacted me. It was a terrible loss to lose him then, and it's still a terrible loss now.