I found myself in my town’s library last week, walking up and down the shelves of books glancing at the titles without taking any meaning out of it. That is until I found myself in the nonfiction section in a row devoted completely to the story of the Columbine shooting. I was immediately drawn to the intimate stories of the devastating event.

Reading one book written from the perspective of a friend of the killers, I had goose bumps. The story struck me hard. I am the same age as those two boys who killed 13 people. I am in the same position as they were. I am a senior in a mid-sized high school, and I have felt on the outside of the circle. At times when I so badly wanted to be accepted, I was shut down. But I can say I would never kill anyone. I would never come anywhere close. But what if there was someone who would? What would anyone do then? And how could a tragedy be avoided?

Every event leaves a mark on society, whether good or bad, painful or happy. After those scars disappear, just the memories remain, and the questions are left over. When it’s done, those affected just want to know why.

I’ve only lived 17 years so far, and I don’t pretend to know anything, but I have experienced a life-changing tragedy. At first, I couldn’t believe when people told me that something good would come from Luke’s death. But as I’ve gotten older and time has passed, I have realized that something good did come out of it. I gained knowledge that I didn’t otherwise have and my world has learned how to prevent such a repeat of such a horrible event to the best of my ability. And I learned that knowledge can come out of any situation. Whether it be the answer to that mysterious question-why, or the knowledge and understanding that you won’t ever get that answer, but most importantly I now know that nothing in life deserves to be wasted.