On May 24, 2022, a gunman took the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
ABC News made a commitment to chronicling the community's journey of grief, healing and activism for at least a year and has been documenting the town and people of Uvalde since then.
That devastating day altered the lives of so many, including moms Kim Rubio and Ana Rodriguez, dad Jerry Mata, students Caitlyne Gonzales and Jazmin Cazares and teacher Arnie Reyes.
Here's a look at their stories in their own words.
Kim Rubio's 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school mass shooting. As she pushed through a year of crushing grief, Rubio, a journalist and a mother of six, obtained her degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and became an outspoken advocate for gun reform.
Caitlyne Gonzales at age 10 survived the mass shooting that unfolded in nearby classrooms at her Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. Twenty-one people, including her best friend, Jackie, and her cousin, Maite, were killed.
Caitlyne faced post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of the massacre. But she still wanted to use her voice for good and says advocacy has helped her heal.
The now-11-year-old -- in between softball practice, karate, music classes and therapy -- is calling for police accountability at Uvalde school board meetings, pushing for gun control at rallies in Austin, Texas, and speaking out in support of a national assault weapons ban in Washington, D.C.
When Jazmin Cazares graduates high school this spring, she won't have her little sister, Jackie, there to cheer her on. Jackie, a 9-year-old who adored her big sister, was among the 19 students and two teachers killed in the May 2022 elementary school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. In the year that followed, Jazmin channeled her pain into activism. She has balanced her classwork with gun reform advocacy, which included testifying in front of Texas lawmakers and speaking alongside the March for Our Lives leaders.
Ana Rodriguez's 10-year-old daughter, Maite, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting.
The little girl who wanted to be a marine biologist became an early face of the massacre when Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey said at a White House briefing that Maite's body could only be identified by her beloved green Converse.
As Rodriguez grieves, she's also speaking out, pushing for answers in the police response investigation and calling for stricter gun laws.
Robb Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Arnulfo "Arnie" Reyes was watching a movie with 11 of his students when he heard shots ring out on May 24, 2022. He instructed the children to get under the table and act like they were asleep. When Reyes turned around, he saw a gunman standing there -- and the shooter then started firing. Reyes was shot twice. All of the students who were in his classroom were killed. Across Reyes' room and an adjoining classroom, 19 children and two teachers were murdered.
Jerry Mata's bubbly 10-year-old daughter, Tess, was among the 21 people killed in the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre.
The grieving dad has gone to Austin and Washington, D.C., this year to push for tighter gun laws.
Back in Uvalde, he often visits Robb Elementary to feel closer to his daughter.
CREDITS:
Producers:
Kate Holland
Tomas Navia
Megan Hundahl Streete
Andrew Fredericks
Ismael Estrada
Nicolas Quiñones
Maryellen Schwisow
Nam Cho
Video Editor: Ben Schellpfeffer
Reporter: Emily Shapiro
Text Editor: Patricio Chile
And special credit to the entire Uvalde:365 team.