It’s been two years.

Two long years since NIU lost a beautiful soul to cruel intentions. Antinette “Toni” Keller went missing Oct. 14, 2010—the Thursday of Homecoming weekend her freshman year.

Although it has been two years since the tragedy of Toni’s death, it still feels like yesterday.

Fliers were handed out, buttons were made and search parties began. Students from NIU and the DeKalb community came together in search of a student who made an impact on so many within a few weeks of stepping onto campus.

Toni will never be forgotten. Those who knew her, even those that didn’t, will remember the face of the red-headed girl with the sunflower tattoo.

The memory of the fall we lost Toni is hard to forget.

NIU was a scary place to be after she went missing. Campus was on lockdown and all types of police covered the residence halls and academic buildings.

I was home when Toni’s remains were found and I did not want to return to NIU, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

Toni and I were the same age. That could have been me or any one of my friends.

My mom had to sit me down and explain how I needed to be strong. She told me how what happened to Toni was something I needed to be brave about. It was an act of opportunity and the likelihood that it would happen to me or my close friends was slim—the likelihood of it happening to anyone was slim.

If it wasn’t for the community coming together to keep everyone safe, I probably wouldn’t have come back. The late night ride expanded its hours and Huskie Patrol practically ran all day long. Student safety seemed to be NIU’s No. 1 priority, as it should have been.

Today, questions of Toni’s disappearance still haven’t been fully answered and I’m still nervous about walking home alone; that feeling will never fade.

Whether William Curl is proven guilty or not, his trial, which will begin Dec. 3, will help provide answers to our questions.

This will not be easy for anyone. Forward, together, forward.