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Uvalde:365 - a Year after the Shooting

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Tamela Phillippe

Update: 2024-04-25