LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Turning trauma into resilience and tragedy into beauty.
It's been one year since a shooting on the UNLV campus killed three professors— Jerry Chang, Patricia Navarro, and Naoko Takemaru, and hurt another.
On Friday, hundreds on the UNLV campus came together to remember the lives lost.
Watch the full remembrance ceremony here:
Dr. Bot Rith, the only professor who was shot that day and survived, offered words of encouragement during the remembrance.
Together, we are strong. Together, we are resilient. Together, we are unstoppable.
The healing journey is far from over for Dr. Rith and everyone on campus that day. But many have found ways to pay their respects in the past year.
Denise Atandi, a UNLV senior, spearheaded a crane project.
"I wanted to do something to honor her," said Atandi.
Atandi wanted to take Takemaru's class but didn't reach her course level.
"Once the community came together, it really opened like a floodgate," said Atandi. "What was so beautiful about this was how fast and how hands-on people were and how it reached overseas, and we got people from Japan sending in cranes."
Chani Johnston, a former student of Takemaru, was also involved in the project.
"She really cared," said Johnston. "She was one of the few professors who called you after class to ask if you're okay."
What began as a tribute to Takemaru became a project for all four professors targeted on campus on December 6, 2023.
Now, one thousand cranes for each professor are placed at Beam Hall. A total of four thousand cranes make up the letters UNLV.
"Through this tragic incident, I found a way to survive," Dr. Rith said.
Although the healing journey isn't over, students say they are one step closer by coming together and leaning on one another.
