Seven years ago, Badiner attended the middle school near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when 17 people tragically lost their lives in a shooting in Parkland, Florida.
“I’ve been through this before. It was a similar situation,” Badiner, 21, told CNN.
Even though the Parkland shooter didn’t target the middle school where Badiner was, she had a terrifying realization seven years later that she might not survive a similar incident this time.
As they hid in the bowling alley office, she started to hear rumours about the shooting and victims.
During the incident, she found herself with friends she had made in her bowling class earlier in the semester, all huddled together in fear for their safety.
There was one desk in the room with a computer, where she could see a warning message informing people to shelter in place.
It felt like a long time of hiding and refreshing social media before police arrived. After checking her texts with her dad, she realized it was actually only 15 minutes.
As police escorted her out of the student union, she saw an injured person on the ground surrounded by police and medics.
“I remember just walking out the doors and I immediately saw her and my heart started beating a little faster. I was like, wow, people are actually injured severely.”
As other students flowed out of the student union and nearby buildings, Badiner began to panic because she didn’t know if the shooter had been caught yet.
Eventually, Badiner was able to safely make it home to her off-campus house.
She hasn’t cried yet and thinks it might be because she’s still in shock. She thinks the tears will come when she learns more about the victims.
She attended a vigil for the victims on Friday evening, though she was a little nervous about being in an open space with so many people.
Badiner, who graduates from FSU in May, said she’s frustrated she’s going through some of these feelings a second time.
“I definitely think there are some things that could be changed. I’m not well-informed enough about the specific (gun) laws that are put into place, but I have a feeling that someone can be doing something to keep us safer,” she said.
Similar to seven years ago, Badiner decided to sleep with a candle warmer on Thursday night, almost like a night light, so she wouldn’t be sleeping in complete darkness.
