As I was driving to my sister’s house this afternoon, I heard a disturbing news segement  that stunned me – A 17 year old girl was shot and killed inside of her Kettering, MD home. 

Amber Deanna Stanley, a student of Charles Herbert Flowers High School, enrolled in the Science and Technology Program, was shot inside of her own bedroom. An honor student, who aspired to attend Harvard University. 

The more I read about this young lady, and her life, the more frustrated I become about the loss and the senseless act of violence. Another dream deferred. 

I live less than a mile away from Amber’s home. I walked the same hallways she did, while she attended Charles H. Flowers High School, and I probably had some of the same teachers she did while I was in the Science and Technology Program.  The more I read about Amber, the more I see myself – my hopes. The fruits that I bore in my dreams that I was too afraid to fulfill in my waking life.  Gone. 

My love and peace are with the family of Amber Stanley, her friends and her loved ones.  The Prince George’s County Police Department is currently issuing a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the individual(s) who killed Amber.