In the weeks and months since December 13, Brown Ever True has helped guide a shared journey of recovery for students, faculty and staff. Through memorials, community-led events and learning sessions—some quiet and reflective, others filled with music, conversation, and collective remembrance—our community has created spaces to grieve, to support one another and to move forward.
Ever True Roadmap to Recovery
Our Stories of Healing and Recovery
Following the senseless act of violence on our campus on December 13, 2025, the Brown community began the difficult work of moving toward healing and recovery.
Our Stories of Healing and Recovery
Following the senseless act of violence on our campus on December 13, 2025, the Brown community began the difficult work of moving toward healing and recovery.
Community Voices
Written stories, photos and submissions from the Brown community art series capture the many ways we continue to process, support one another and move forward. From moments of gathering and remembrance to the everyday acts of care that have defined the months since December 13, this space captures a living record of resilience, connection and healing.
Healing Through Art
In the days and months since December 13, the Brown community has turned to visual art, writing and other forms of creative expression for comfort, connection and a way to process complex experiences.
Each piece represents an individual perspective while contributing to a broader collective story of care and resilience. Together, these works form an evolving gallery that honors both personal expression and the strength of the Brown community as a whole.
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Thank you to Brown community member Brittany Pailthorpe for sharing this black and white scratchboard drawing titled, “Family.”
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i remember the eclipse on the Brown Green / everyone watching the sky grow dark / holding our breath when that small sliver of light / was all that was left of the sun / i know how it is to be in community / to feel your heart beat in rhythm with me / when you hurt, i hurt too / when you cry, i cry too / and when you hold my hand / i will squeeze back tighter / and we'll wait for the sun together / — Written and illustrated by Koji Hellman, a graphic design student at Rhode Island School of Design, Class of 2027. Koji takes classes at Brown and wanted to share this poem about how students on College Hill are connected in their grief.
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“As an epidemiologist, I record the damage done by epidemics. The stories of individuals who’ve suffered or who we’ve lost become testaments to prevent history from repeating itself. Although we didn’t know it would happen at Brown, it was all too likely that a school shooting would happen again. These incidents have continued as part of a violent epidemic that we know all too well in this country, and until we change as a nation, it remains our tragic, predictable reality. “As an artist, I processed the deadly shooting at Brown, a place very dear to me, and I felt moved to record this loss in a more tangible testament. I was inspired by flowers that, in winter, have already laid the seeds that will grow next year, sunlight guiding them forward. As we grieve through this winter of senseless violence, I see the healing and compassion, already planted in our community long ago, that will continue to grow.” — Artwork submitted by Nathaniel Fuchs ’20 MPH
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“I'm a visual arts concentrator at Brown, and while my academic interests lie in making large-scale paintings, it has become very important to me that I also make smaller, accessible, Brown-specific pieces for my peers to enjoy. Brown is such a vibrant, creative community, and I want my pieces to reflect that. Every semester I make a number of little paintings and leave them out for passersby to take for free, in the hopes that they bring a bit of joy to the lives of whoever picks them up. Through this project, I've painted many locations on campus. This piece is one of those little paintings. “I made this piece in the wake of December 13th to try to capture Brown’s beauty and resilience through frightening times, as well as to honor the lives that were lost and the location that was forever changed by violence. I gave this painting away on the day of Brown's campus-wide memorial service.” — Artwork submitted by Hadley McCormack ’27
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“Decades ago, I first learned the Brown Alma Mater in a polo shirt and blazer as a member of the Brown Band. Back then, we only called it ‘That Song’ to avoid jinxing the football team. Today, as an associate dean, I sing those same words in academic regalia during Convocation and Commencement. Whether standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow ‘bandies’ or administrative colleagues, the lyrics remind me that our shared experiences tether us to the past and the future. In good times and bad, these traditions ensure that no one ever sings alone.” — Alycia Mosley Austin ’01, Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Graduate School
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“I made this collage from old mail that I had accumulated over winter break, tearing pieces of different colors to create a picture of the beautiful memorial outside of Barus and Holley that had begun to form in the days after December 13th. With fresh snow on the ground, the contrast of the vibrant and colorful flowers created a striking and moving scene. “As an English major, my primary artistic medium is writing, but I couldn't bring myself to form words to describe how this tragedy felt. I also love to draw, but that didn't feel right either. I settled on collaging; the process of tearing paper and taking fragments to make a whole was cathartic, but also strangely symbolic, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. It is framed in my apartment kitchen now, and I love seeing it every day and reminding myself of how the Brown community keeps channeling our resilience to piece ourselves back together.” — Artwork submitted by Deeya Prakash ’26 (English/nonfiction track, Program in Liberal Medical Education)
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“These pieces are quick digital sketches I made after coming back to campus for the semester. As an engineer, the Möbius strip and Engineering Research Center have been such staples of my time here at Brown. Since December, I feel as though it has taken on even more meaning to me as a reminder of the resilience of our community and the ways we will continue to honor Ella and Mukhammad as we move forward and begin to heal. I found myself sketching the Möbius strip whenever I could, so I decided to draw it alongside some other campus staples that I felt captured the strength and hope of our community.” — Artwork submitted by Charlie Levine ’26 (concentrating in biomedical engineering and neuroscience)
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“Brown shaped who I am and gave me the space to pursue what I love. It also brought some of the most meaningful people in my life. “That’s why what happened on December 13th felt so deeply heartbreaking, especially in the engineering building, a place where I spent so much of my college experience, a place that felt like my second home. “I created this piece in response, called ‘Gathered Light.’ ‘Gathered Light’ is a bouquet composed in remembrance. Each flower represents a person who brought light into the lives around them: Two white roses for the souls lost, and nine brown roses for the victims. Held together by a yellow ribbon representing Brown’s strength and radiance. At the bottom, the sundial installation, 'Infinite Possibility,’ reflects the landscape onto itself, one of the most distinct and beloved features of our engineering building.” — Artwork submitted by Melany Gomez ’25 (Sc.B. in Mechanical Engineering and A.B in Architecture)
Stories of Resilience and Care
The award, which was presented to seven officers who were the first to respond to the mass shooting on Dec. 13, is reserved for acts performed with exceptional bravery beyond the call of duty in life-threatening situations.
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Samples of the flowers community members have placed at memorials to the victims of the mass shooting on campus are being held in trust at the Brown University Herbarium.
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As community members continue on a path toward recovery, a campus-wide memorial service honored the lives of Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, whose lives were lost in December.
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Brown Alumni Magazine
Voices: December 13, 2025
Following the mass shooting at Barus & Holley, members of the Brown community shared their stories with the BAM.
Spring 2026
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Spring 2026
Brown Alumni Magazine
Open Doors
Over winter break, the Brown community welcomed students into their homes and hearts.
By Tim Murphy ’91 / Spring 2026
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By Tim Murphy ’91 / Spring 2026
Brown Alumni Magazine
Ever True
Brown launches a trauma-informed recovery initiative.
By Alex Cohen ’93 / Spring 2026
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By Alex Cohen ’93 / Spring 2026
With Gratitude to Providence
In the days and months following December 13, the Brown University community has been supported in countless ways by our neighbors across Providence and Rhode Island, and by the first responders who showed up with care and urgency. This collection of videos reflects our deep gratitude for their compassion, partnership and steady presence that helped carry us through.
Brown encourages students, staff and faculty members to continue to express gratitude to the city in ways that are meaningful to them such as shopping locally, donating to nonprofit organizations that serve the residents of Providence and Rhode Island or finding other ways to engage with and support Providence community groups and programs.
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From February 14 through March 16, 2026, the Brown community shopped locally, donated to local nonprofit organizations, delivered handwritten thank-you notes, displayed Brown Loves Providence posters in windows, and purchased special campaign apparel in an effort to return the love of our Providence neighbors and first responders who supported Brown in the days and months following December 13.
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Brown Loves Providence was projected on the side of the Lindemann Performing Arts Center on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2026, to mark the start of Brown's gratitude campaign supporting our neighbors and first responders in Providence, Rhode Island.