#29 Craig Scott: Twenty Years After Columbine
Craig Scott was a sophomore at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, when two students descended on the school and unleashed what was, at the time, the deadliest high school shooting in American history. And though Scott survived by hiding under a desk in the library, the shooters killed 12 students and a teacher that day, including Scott's friends, classmates, and older sister Rachel.
Scott is now a speaker with and a co-founder of the Denver-based non-profit organization Value Up, dedicated to improving the social climate in high schools and instilling self-worth and value in kids who need it most. Scott has told his story of survival to thousands of teenagers and helped them deal with cross-generational problems of social pressures and anxiety, but also with issues exclusive to a new generation of teens, including the pitfalls of social media and sexting, as well as active shooter drills that are commonplace in today’s schools.
On the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, Scott discusses his thoughts on the shooters who caused so much emotional and physical damage two decades ago, how he connects with teenagers today, if the emotional trauma changed how he communicates with his family, and if he should start his own someday soon.
