Dozens of students and educators stood shoulder to shoulder Thursday night at UC Berkeley during a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the Las Vegas massacre.
They shared their personal stories of losing friends and offered each other words of hope and strength for the future.
"It's times like this that it's important that we come together as a community," Dean of Students Joseph Greenwell said.
Some also told personal stories of grief, led by campus minister Rev. Daniel Curran.
"We all mourn because we all got hurt," he said.
Curran shared a personal experience about a 2014 attack near the UC Santa Barbara campus, where six people were killed. His daughter was a student at the school.
"There was that terrible 15 minutes where I didn't know where my daughter was," Curran said.
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He reminded the group of about 40 students Thursday night that their lives matter and to not let what happened in Las Vegas diminish that.
"You're just as worthwhile. You're as valuable as you were before the weekend," he said.
A student advocate offered counsel to students who may need a shoulder to cry on or a voice of hope and encouragement.
"It can be hard when you're dealing with something so core-shaking," counselor Jillian Free said.
On a candlelit banner, students shared the names of people they lost and the true meaning of humanity.
"It's good that we're here," Curran said. "Keep going on."
