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Matthew & Rachel - #DearNewtown

Episode 03 / Sandy Hook / Dear World

Matthew & Rachel

On serving kids, new friendship and being 17

Salt Lake City, Utah · Matthew 19, Rachel 17

I hope that as a pediatric nurse you get to help many children, and form relationships with others in your unit.

Rachel to Matthew.

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About This Story

Episode 03

Matthew and Rachel are linked by a desire to care for the next generation. Their conversation is full of sibling laughter, dance, solitude, and a deep commitment to protecting the childlike parts of themselves that still deserve joy.

Their episode holds two truths at once: the experience changed them, and they are still whole people with humor, longing, ambition, and a future beyond the event that made the world first know their names.

The Participants

Matthew & Rachel

Participant

Matthew

Age 19

Matthew values his ability to take space and zone out during stressful moments, and he still laughs hardest when he is in the car with his brother.

Perfect day
Lying in bed all day with snacks and a new TV show.
Guilty pleasure
Rewatching all of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
Healing
Family time, hiking, and being alone on the mountain have become places of comfort.
Future
He wants to study pediatric nursing and help children who have lived through trauma like his.

Be a kid. Enjoy your young. Don't think about the big stuff, or the joy of being young will be gone.

Participant

Rachel

Age 17

Rachel wants to show other survivors that tragedy does not have to define their entire lives.

Guilty pleasure
A big bowl of fettuccine alfredo on the couch with her dogs and a cheesy romance novel.
Current era
Her dancing queen era, including teaching young kids how to dance.
Healing
She has found solace in talking with the people she loves and using dance to channel emotion instead of bottling it up.
Future
She wants to become a pediatrician and is inspired by relatives doing humanitarian medical work.

Sandy Hook happened. But it only describes one aspect of my life, not who I am entirely. I like to dance. I'm a whole person.

Watch The Series

Episode Films

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Story Moments

Visual Story

Matthew and Rachel together

Matthew loves his ability to take space and zone out in the middle of stressful moments, and he finds steadiness in simple routines and family time.

Still from Matthew and Rachel's episode

Rachel is determined to show that this tragedy does not define her, and that she can still wake up, smile, dance, and keep moving.

A moment from Matthew and Rachel's conversation

Together they imagine futures in pediatric care, carrying forward what they have learned into work that helps children feel seen and safe.

What They Want To Say

Voices From The Episode

Matthew

To Other Survivors

It's okay to feel how you feel. It's going to be hard. It's okay to be sad. It will eventually get better, but right now, just stick with it.

Matthew

Rachel

Identity

I'm a whole person.

Rachel

Rachel anchors that statement in dance, joy, and a refusal to be reduced to one event.

Looking Ahead

What Does The Future Hold?

Rachel

Rachel is excited to become a pediatrician and care for children with the same tenderness she values in her own life.

Matthew

Matthew is studying pediatric nursing and wants to support children navigating trauma and recovery.

Learn More

Resources

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Learn more about the Portrait Process and Dear World's broader mission.

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