EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Michigan State University alum is helping students find comfort after Monday's mass shooting. She drove 15 hours from Florida after she got news of the tragedy.
She got to campus and spearheaded an effort to fund transportation for students who want to go home.
The woman organizing this, Paula Reser, is really trying to meet students where they are and help them feel safe again.
"It is a lot to take in," said Brian Jurado, a student who was on MSU's campus during the shooting.
Jurado was studying in his apartment when a friend told him a man was on campus shooting students.
It's surreal for him to think it was only 48 hours ago.
"I just went in and shut off all the lights and closed the windows and I was just hiding in my room," Jurado said.
The feelings of safety and joy he once associated with the MSU campus are gone.
What he's left with is survivor's guilt and immense worry for his friend who he says was one of the five people shot.
"It has just been really hard to think about. I just don't want to be here right now on campus," Jurado said. "I want to be with my family."
Reser says there are many students like Jurado who are desperate to get home.
She put out a Facebook post offering help.
"I thought maybe we would help two or three kids come home and maybe have some gas money for them or something, but it ended up getting shared almost 2,000 times and then volunteers starting coming in," Reser said. "And student requests started coming in and it just grew."
Reser says she remembers what it's like to be on a college budget.
She wanted to remove any kind of obstacle that would prevent a student from being where they feel the safest.
"They are also scared to leave, from what I understand, so we are getting DoorDash gift cards, so they can stay where they are at. But some of the stories they are sharing are pretty heartbreaking," Reser said.
She says some students just need rides back to Detroit or help getting home to Chicago.
Others like Jurado have a longer journey. He'll be on a plane to Wyoming Thursday morning.
"I am glad that there are people like Paula that were offering to help us get home and stuff, but at the same time, it hurts because there are three of us that don't get to see our families again, ever," Jurado said.
Jurado has no idea when he'll come back or how he and others will heal.
"I think right now, the biggest worry or thought on my mind is just to see my mom and just give her a hug. That's what I think a lot of us want to do right now," Jurado said.
Reser says they're collecting money if you'd like to help. You can send that through Cash App to "student relief MSU 23."
