Before a fateful January day in 2011, high school student Kyler Erickson decided that he wanted to be remembered for his excellence in basketball.
However, after surviving the Millard South High School shooting in Omaha, Nebraska, that occurred just mere feet from his room, Erickson spent years battling PTSD, suicidal thoughts, and depression.
He eventually utilized his experience with trauma to help “as many people as possible,” giving inspirational talks to hundreds of thousands of children and adults in schools across the country, including a school safety conference last week in Garden Grove, California.
During the 13th annual SafeSchools Conference, July 13–15 in Garden Grove, a program through the California Department of Education aimed at providing training and resources to schools and administrators to improve overall student safety and well-being, Erickson shared his story of coming to terms with his trauma, as well as how adults can guide children struggling with similar hurdles to prevent shootings like Millard from happening….