They are the people that invent, he says. They are the people that make society move forward. And they are the people that suffered.

There is more care in the world than hate.

This is a powerful statement coming from Matt Emma, 20, a sophomore at Virginia Tech. He learned this lesson in the aftermath of the tragic shootings that took place on his campus on Monday, April 16. The shooting left 33 dead, including the shooter.

The students who were killed, he tells me, were the brightest of the bunch. Virginia Tech is made up of mostly engineering majors. These students took classes so hard that no one else attempted them, classes like Non-linear Thermo Dynamics and Chaos Theory.

They are the people that invent, he says. They are the people that make society move forward. And they are the people that suffered.

On that morning, Matt, a building and construction major, sits in class. He is unaware that only two buildings away, in Norris Hall, catastrophe is occurring.

He leaves the building at 9:30 a.m. On the way out, a woman tells him that he and his friends need to go back inside because there has been a shooting.

We didnt know what the hell was going on, says Matt. His friends and him ignore the woman and keep walking, until they hear a burst of several shots. At this point, Matt leaves campus.

Matt says that the whole day his cell phone was constantly ringing, with friends, family and acquaintances checking up on him. Luckily, Matt and all his friends are okay. One of his friends was shot in the back, but she survived.

Several of Matts friends are paramedics and they told him about their experiences.

The hardest thing for them was the cell phones ringing, he says. Could they pick it up? What do you say? Your son is dead and Im carrying him out?

This is not Matts first experience with disaster. He grew up in Long Island, N.Y. and his mother was near the Twin Towers when they collapsed on Sept. 11. This time, he feels he has to help those in need.

Since the tragedy, Matt has helped prepare ribbons and candles for last nights vigil. He has also started a website called www.vtunite.com where students can respond to the event.

Today we are all Hokies, the first line of the site reads.

Matt speaks a lot about the unity of the VT community. He says that early on, the media coverage tended to ignore that aspect of the event, but after last nights vigil, Matt thinks they finally got it.

Matt has talked to many reporters about the shooting, including CNN, which was doing a report about the Korean population at Virginia tech, a story that disturbs him.

We are united as one, Matt explains. We are made up of thousands of types of people. We are diverse, and we like that about ourselves.

Matt also disagrees with the criticisms of the relief efforts at VT. He believes that everyone did everything that they possibly could.

More of Matts anger is directed at the Westboro Baptist Church. They plan to protest at the funerals of the VT victims and have even posted this comment on their website (www.godhatesamerica.com):

WBC will preach at the funerals of the Virginia Tech students killed on campus during a shooting rampage April 16, 2007. You describe this as monumental horror, but you know nothing of horror “ yet. Your bloody tyrant Bush says he is horrified by it all. You know nothing of horror “ yet. Your true horror is coming.

There could be upwards of 20,000 protesters at the funerals.

While Matt and his fellow students mourn the tragedy, they are stuck in limbo as school officials try to decide when or if to reopen the campus.

Some of the students want school to start up because they want work to help get their minds off this, says Matt. The campus right now, however, is covered in memorials that make it impossible for students, even if they are buried in work, to forget.

Even if the students return this semester, their sense of security has been shattered.

Its pretty scary, he says. If it happened here, it could happen anywhere.

Matt doesnt want people to feel sorry for him or his fellow classmates. He says that the tragedy has brought his community together. Instead, he hopes people will reach out to the people in their own lives.

Call every person you know and tell them how much you care about them, he says. It is incredible how much care there is in the world.

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