I am writing regarding the third anniversary of the tragic loss of five students on our campus.

When the events of Feb. 14 [2008] occurred, I was just a sophomore in high school in Peoria, Ill. That day was a little different for me because when I turned on the news, I learned of what happened here.

My immediate thought was, “I don’t think I could ever go to a university where something like this could happen.”

When I became a junior and senior in high school and college choices were bearing down on me, NIU kept popping back up on my radar.

My family and friends asked questions like, “Isn’t that where that shooting happened?” or “Are you sure it’s safe?”

The closer I got to applying, the more I saw how they had upgraded their security and how the university had become such a family after the incident.

After my research into majors and the school community, it was clear that NIU was the only choice for me. In fact, NIU was the only university that I even applied to.

This memorial showed how NIU will no longer be defined by the tragedy that occurred, but by the way that NIU became one.

I saw how everyone became a family and, more than ever, I felt like a part of it.

I am so glad to be a part of this university, and I will forever be honored to be a Huskie.

Joe Kale

freshman electrical engineering major