Safety Not Guaranteed

By Amirah Ahmad

Teenagers generally think they’re invincible1. invincible: 无敌的，不能征服的。, especially college students. I moved in at the University of Virginia (located in Charlottesville2. Charlottesville: 夏洛茨维尔（美国弗吉尼亚州中部城市）。, Virginia), and I felt like I was unstoppable. I felt like I had the world at my feet, so many opportunities to pounce on3. pounce on: 抓住并利用。, people to meet, and things to do. My idealized world, along with many other students, came crashing down when we heard what had occurred.4. 然而当我们听到发生的一切时，我和其他很多同学理想中的世界就这么破灭了。idealized:理想的；crash down: 倒下，瓦解。

On the morning of September 15th, UVA students received the email. The words pierced5. pierce: 刺穿，穿过，文中指“看到的文字让人难以接受”。our eyes, pained our hearts. As news broadcasters aired the story, we couldn’t help but think of how a tragedy could hit so close to home.6. air: v. 广播，播送；tragedy: 悲剧，灾难。One of us was missing, and the search had immediately begun.

Hannah Graham, a student at the University of Virginia, was reported missing. The last contact she had was with her friends via text message at 1:20 a.m. on September 13th. She was reportedly last seen at a bar with a man, a couple miles away from central campus.

近年来校园安全问题备受关注。美国弗吉尼亚大学一名女学生失踪后，整个校园师生包括社区人员都展开了积极的救援。一时间，大家凝聚在一起，感受到前所未有的团结。满校园的白玫瑰、诗歌、橘色丝带，都是对生命的爱与希望，提醒着人们什么才是生命里最重要的，同时呼吁人们关注校园安全，避免悲剧再次发生。

As students, we realized that our safety was not guaranteed. We had entered the real world of college, separate from our parents. That is to say,our moms didn’t hold our hands when we crossed the road at home but we always knew she was able to. Hundreds of miles away from comfort and protection, however, we acknowledged that the world isn’t looking out for us. Instead, we had to look out for each other.

Moreover, Charlottesville exhibited a unity that can only be achieved with hurting souls. Students, faculty, and community residents have launched one of the most passionate campaigns to find our missing Hannah Graham.7. faculty: 全体教员； launch:发动，发起； passionate:热情激昂的；campaign: 活动。

One of the first moments the community showed such cohesion8. cohesion: 凝聚力，团结。during this difficult time was three days after receiving the news. On the night of September 18th, over one thousand people gathered at Hannah Graham’s vigil9. vigil:（祈祷或政治抗议的）守夜。to pray for her safe return. Tokens10. token: 纪念品，personality:个人，个人的存在。of Hannah’s personality were spread throughout the vigil. Attendees found her favorite candy, pink Starbursts,11. attendee: 出席者；Starbursts:一种果汁软糖。placed neatly on their seats. Skis and an alto saxophone12. alto saxophone: 中音萨克斯管。also served to remind us of her favorite hobbies. Most convincing of our unity,however, was when everyone sung the Good Ol’ Song. Over one thousand of us hugged the people besides us as we sung:

That good old song of Wah-hoo-wah—we’ll sing it o’er and o’er

It cheers our hearts and warms our blood to hear them shout and roar

We come from old Virginia, where all is bright and gay13. gay: 愉快的，欢乐的。

Let’s all join hands and give a yell for the dear old UVA

Wah-hoo-wah, Wah-hoo-wah! Uni-v, Virginia!

Hoo-rah-ray, Hoo-rah-ray, ray ray UVA!

Students refrained from blurting out the usual infamy (some students exclaim “not gay” at the end of the third line) as everyone ended the vigil with a graceful version of the school anthem.14. 学生们都忍住平日里的胡闹（某些学生将第三句歌词的最后改为“not gay”），安静地唱完校歌，结束了守夜。refrain from: 克制住；blurt out: 脱口而出，不假思索地说出；infamy:恶行；exclaim: 呼喊，大声说；school anthem: 校歌。Eyes were brimming with15. brim with: 充满。tears as we exited the vigil, praying in our hearts our Hannah would come home.

Two days later, September 20th, a widespread community search was held. A tremendous 1,200 volunteers combed the city,16. tremendous: 非常多的；comb:彻底搜查。covering 85% of the area.

On September 21st, John and Sue Graham,parents of Hannah, spoke out to address the community and express their appreciation for all the support as well as implore for further help to resolve the issue as thousands of concerned students tuned in.17. 9月21日，汉娜的父母，约翰和苏在社区进行公开讲话，对大家所给予的支持表达了感谢，并恳求大家进一步帮助他们解决问题，数千名关切的学生收听了他们的讲话。address: 向……致辞；appreciation: 感谢；implore for: 恳求；tune in:收听，收看。

Within a week, the community had visibly shown such an admiring steadfastness and determination to locate Hannah.18. visibly: 明显地；steadfastness:坚定不移。

However, it didn’t stop there. One morning, students found inspiring letters with white roses and poems strewn19. strew: 撒满，文中为过去分词形式。through Grounds (what UVA. students call their campus), gentle reminders of what keeps a distressed community together: hope.

Hope is what encouraged students to decorate Beta Bridge with the simple words, “Bring Hannah Home.” Hope was seen through the thousands of orange ribbons students adorned20. adorn: 装饰。on their clothes at the football game after Hannah’s disappearance. Hope continues to be seen through the orange ribbons attached to backpacks, reminding us of what’s important in life.

Though I’ve been at UVA. for just over a month, the unwavering buoyancy of the community during these struggling times has made me appreciate my surroundings.21. unwavering: 坚定的，不动摇的；buoyancy: 轻快，愉快。Everywhere students turned, there was support right around the corner. Residential advisors reminded us of their presence and their willingness to help during any situation, no matter what time of day. School administration sent out emails regarding safety issues and concerns as well as resources available for struggling students.

The social dynamic around Grounds was completely altered22. alter: 更改，改变。. Though we all realized the importance of the buddy system prior to Hannah’s disappearance,23. buddy system: 结伴同行制；prior to: 优先，居于……之前。it wasn’t until after tragedy struck that we realized how necessary it was. Friends and hall mates began to keep tabs on24. keep tabs on: 密切关注。each other via text and phone call more so than before. I heard of accounts that even strangers offered to walk with someone who was walking back to dorms alone at night.

Other students took even a greater step. One student posted his idea for a club on Facebook and received tremendous feedback.25. post: 公布，发布；feedback:反馈，回复。His club would be a group of students sacrificing their Friday or Saturday nights to walk people home or to a bus stop who call or text the main operator.Originally, he suggested himself and his hall mates as the “walkers”but several students volunteered to help out. Dozens of students were suggesting ideas to improve the club and also expressed their gratitude to the student who came up with the idea.26. gratitude: 感激；come up with:提出，想出。

The unity after Hannah’s disappearance reminded me of the unity after a tragedy at my high school last February. Two students tragically committed suicide within a week, within 48 hours. Students were shocked. The suddenness had caught everyone off guard, resulting in grief so indescribably painful that it was one of the most difficult weeks in school any of us had encountered.27. 这突如其来的坏消息使每个人都措手不及，陷入难以名状的痛苦之中，那一周对每个人而言都是上学以来最难熬的一周。off guard: 不提防，不警惕；grief: 悲痛，忧伤；indescribably: 难以形容的；encounter: 遭遇。Nearly every student wore black the entire week of school in mourning28. mourning: 哀痛。. What allowed us to endure this despair was the cohesion of the community. The vigil for the two students drew hundreds of mourning students, teachers, parents, and community members. Church gatherings and school assemblies allowed students to lament together.29. assembly: 集会；lament: 哀悼，追悼。What seemed most important during that week of struggling were the friends we hugged and held onto as we grieved for the two souls we lost.30. hold onto: 紧紧抓牢；grieve for: 哀悼。

Community solidarity is imperative during such gloom.31. solidarity: 团结一致；imperative: 必要的，不可避免的；gloom: 忧郁。I hope for the alleviation32. alleviation: 缓和，减轻。of this tragedy, a solution. Our thoughts continually go to Hannah Graham and her family as we pray for her safe return.