On May 24, 2022, the town of Uvalde lost 19 children and two teachers in a school shooting. TPR commemorated the 21 victims and the people they were before their lives were taken.
Lexi Rubio, 10
Lexi’s favorite color was yellow. She loved softball, basketball, math, baking and politics. Lexi dreamed of earning a softball scholarship to go to college and major in math. She wanted to be a lawyer.
She also loved to order the “Lexi Burger,” which is a dry McDonald’s cheeseburger topped with fries and chicken nuggets. Her mom Kimberly Mata Rubio associates the song “Yellow” by Coldplay with her. Kim ran for Uvalde mayor last year. She thinks if Lexi were still here, she would have helped with the campaign.
Maite Rodriguez, 10
Maite’s favorite color was green. She loved to watch anime, in particular the show “Attack on Titan.” She loved all animals, especially marine animals like dolphins. Maite loved to eat her Whataburger burger with jalapeño. She planned to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi and study marine biology. She decorated her green converse shoes with a heart.
Jacklyn “Jackie” Cazares, 9
Jackie’s favorite color was sage green. She loved singing, the Eiffel Tower, TikTok and Snapchat. She loved all animals and adored her four dogs. Jackie hoped to someday travel to Paris, and she maintained a piggy bank to save for a future trip to France. She dreamed of becoming a veterinarian.
Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia, 10
Uzi’s favorite color was red. He loved running, gorilla tag, basketball and Spiderman. Uzi could never beat his dad, Brett, in a race but kept trying anyway. He loved video games, and he wanted to be a police officer to give back to his community.
Eliahna Cruz Torres, 10
Eliahna loved being silly. She enjoyed being on TikTok, playing basketball, and making people laugh. Her family called her the “enfermerita” or “little nurse” because she would accompany her grandpa on walks after his open-heart surgery. Eliahna was a nurturing person. She really hoped to make the all-stars on her softball team.
Rojelio Torres, 10
Rojelio loved Pokémon, football, playing outside, or staying indoors and playing video games. He always had a smile on his face and wanted to make a real difference in this world. He was very outgoing and loved life. Rojelio was always ready to lend a helping hand to his mom or aunt.
Xavier James Lopez, 10
Xavier loved the little leagues, swimming, playing pranks, and listening to cumbia music. He couldn’t wait to attend middle school. At age seven, he learned to make his father’s favorite salsa. Xavier would then sell the salsa and use the money to buy toys for his brothers. He was friends with Annabell Rodriguez.
Annabell Rodriguez, 10
Annabell’s favorite color was blue. Her cousin was Jackie Cazares, and her friend was Xavier Lopez. She loved blue butterflies, TikTok, painting her grandmother’s nails and braiding hair. She ran a snow cone machine with her family and earned a place on the school honor roll in 2022.
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Amerie’s favorite color was purple. She loved colored pencils and playing with clay. She made the school honor roll in 2022. She was known as a daddy’s girl and was an outgoing child. She hoped to combine teaching with art.
Alithia Ramirez, 10
Alithia loved the color purple. She enjoyed soccer and eating pizza. Alithia wanted to attend art school and had previously submitted work to the Google Doodle competition. She is quoted saying, “I want the world to see my art and show the world what I can do. I want people to be happy when they see my passion.”
Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
Makenna’s favorite color was purple. She loved softball, gymnastics, dancing, singing, and animals. Makenna was a member of the 4H Club and loved her animals Bailey the Dog, Porkchop the Pig, Twitty the Steer and Dude the Horse. She loved butterflies.
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Jayce loved his dog, Fifi. He had an infectious smile, and every morning he would make his parents and grandparents a pot of coffee before leaving for school. Jayce adored school. His cousin was Jailah Nicole Silguero.
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Jailah loved being outdoors, dancing, making TikTok videos, skateboarding and cycling. She loved basketball and was described as a ray of sunshine. Her cousin was Jayce Luevanos.
Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia, 9
Ellie’s favorite color was purple. She loved hot sauce, ramen noodles, dancing, and the Encanto movie. Her basketball jersey number was #21. She loved making videos and was practicing choreography for her quinceañera—years ahead of turning 15. She dreamed of becoming a teacher.
Layla Salazar, 11
Layla loved singing, dancing, swimming, track, koala bears and the Dallas Cowboys football team. When her grandparents would pick her up from school, they would always buy her tacos. So Layla often requested that they pick her up instead of her parents.
Miranda Mathis, 11
Miranda’s favorite color was purple. She loved nature and collected rocks, shells, and feathers. Miranda enjoyed playing Roblox and spending time with her brother. She loved eating pizza, tacos and boneless wings.
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Nevaeh loved the colors purple and pink. Her name is “Heaven” spelled backwards. She loved wearing her curls over her shoulder. She also loved butterflies and softball.
Tess Mata, 10
Tess loved her cat Oliver, the show "Victorious," the Houston Astros team, TikTok, fancy dresses, pretty jewelry, and the peace sign. She started saving for college because she wanted to attend Texas State University, just like her big sister.
Jose Flores Jr., 10
Jose’s favorite color was dark blue. He loved cars, Takis chips, and baseball. He was a Houston Astros fan, and his jersey was #6 in the little league. Jose wanted to become a police officer to protect others and serve. He was known as “Josecito” and “Baby Jose.”
Eva Mireles, 44
Eva was a teacher at Robb Elementary. She loved CrossFit, hiking, and spending time with her family. She was a teacher for 17 years and specialized in special education.
Irma Garcia, 48
Irma Garcia was a teacher at Robb Elementary. She loved menudo, barbequing, and listening to music. She was nearing 23 years of teaching experience.
This web remembrance is also dedicated to Irma’s husband Jose Garcia. He died from a heart attack two days after May 24, 2022.
