Sunday May 18, 2025
By Lien Hoa Torres
Three out of 4 teens are worried about school gun violence. Here’s how one student is making a difference.
(Lauren Baese | Special to The Tribune) Anud Hashi, a senior at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, poses with the Somalia flag. She is concerned about gun violence in her Somali community and joined a prevention organization.
Editor’s note • This is part of a collaborative project between The Salt Lake Tribune and the Highland High School Rambler. Read more about these young Utahns’ experience and perspective here.
In 2024, Anud Hashi was devastated to learn that a close family friend was shot and killed during a gang-related altercation.
The Highland High senior and her family mourned. They wondered how something so violent and tragic could happen so close to home.
For many people Hashi’s age, the fear of gun violence is common. A new study funded by the National Institute of Child Health Development found 75 percent of teens ages 14-17 report some level of worry about school gun violence.
And the Children’s Defense Fund reported in 2018 that school shootings are the second most common fear among children between the ages of six and 17.
Hashi shares these concerns. Especially in her community.
“It’s a growing problem in the Somali community,” said Hashi, who moved here from Ethiopia in 2011 and is ethnically Somali. “I think it’s a problem that continues to get worse.”
She felt afraid and confused after losing her friend. And then Hashi did what so many in Gen Z are doing — she tried to find a solution.
Hashi decided to join the Somali Anti-Gun Violence Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to educate Somalian parents on the risks of gun violence and the impacts of it on smaller minority communities. While the campaign is still new and relatively small, Hashi hopes to help it grow. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce gun violence within the Somali population.
Hashi currently helps with the anti-gun violence campaign as a volunteer. She serves as a translator for parents, hands out brochures, makes posters, and promotes the program in her community and school.
She is not yet one of the key figures in the campaign as she is still a teenager, but she hopes to become more involved in the future. The campaign is important to her, and she is happy to help in any way that she can.
“It’s a growing problem and I would like to take a bigger role in the education aspect of it,” Hashi said. “I think that’s what a lot of parents are missing. I think it’s something that needs to be addressed more.”
(Lauren Baese | Special to The Tribune) Anud Hashi, a senior at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, poses with the Somalia flag. She is concerned about gun violence in her Somali community.
Hashi believes she can better the future by being an active voice and volunteering to promote change. She is the current president of Highland’s Black Student Union, and she’s also a member of Ram Fam, a club of Highland seniors dedicated to serving the school at a deeper level. Both groups are dedicated to promoting inclusivity and uniting students from all backgrounds.
Gen Z students tend to become involved in activism at earlier ages than previous generations, according to a 2022 BBC article. They are vocal about the issues that are important to them and actively advocate for the change they want to see in the world.
As she wraps up her senior year, Hashi is focused on working towards going to college and becoming an active voice on campus.
“I’m just thinking about my plans for the future, and the career plan I want to take and getting rid of that anxiety for the future,” Hashi said. “I’m on the premed track at the U (University of Utah) and ultimately, I want to work in public health.”
Gun violence to Hashi is a public health problem. She is determined to make a difference in the world, and she hopes an education in public health will help her reach more people.
“Public health is what allows us to gain awareness of issues,” Hashi said. “More specifically, in the education aspect of how things are impacting us in a bigger scheme of things. And there’s a way for it to make an impact on smaller communities.”
(Lien Hoa Torres) Lien Hoa Torres is a junior at Highland High School and the Culture & Community Editor at The Rambler, her school newspaper.
Lien Hoa Torres is a junior at Highland High School and the Culture & Community Editor at The Rambler, her school newspaper. She serves as Varsity Cheer Captain and member of Highland Dance Company. She loves spending time with her family, dog, and friends.