When an acquaintance in Rodrigue’s, Fordham University’s student-run coffee shop, asked Jordan Gomes why she would be in the news, Gomes went quiet for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “Uhh you can just look it up and see,” she said to the innocent asker. Although Gomes seems like any other Fordham University student, she is also a gun violence prevention activist.

“Call me an idealist, call me an optimist, but there is always work to be done,” said Gomes.

Since freshman year of high school, Gomes has worked closely with the Newtown Action Alliance advocating for federal gun control laws.

Now, at 20 years old, Gomes moved to Washington D.C. over the summer to lobby for Congressman Maxwell Frost’s bill for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. As the Outreach Director for the Newtown Action Alliance, Gomes led the lobbying by organizing nearly a hundred meetings with congresspeople to discuss the bill.

“I think the thing that gets the conversation going the most is really just walking in and bringing something to their attention,” said Gomes about her experience lobbying.

Gomes’ efforts proved their worth this past month when she visited the White House to celebrate the bill for the Office of Gun Violence Protection becoming an executive action. However, Gomes’s mission in Washington D.C. wasn’t solely about passing legislation. According to her, what made it worth it was the community she has built along the way.

Gomes has connected not only with other young adults, but with survivors and their families of all ages, too.

Gomes recently had an opportunity to meet with a survivor of the Uvalde, Texas shooting who was the same age as her when she went through Sandy Hook. Gomes described this connection as one of her proudest moments–not when she spoke at The White House or was featured in The Washington Post.

“I’m not proud of the circumstances that brought us together, but what I am proud of is that in dark times people are still able to stand with one another….Having someone who truly knows what it’s like is world changing. I’m proud that I’ve become the type of person who can do that, and that so many people have had it in their hearts to be there for me too,” said Gomes.

Moving forward, Gomes wants to grow closer with her fellow survivors–hopefully in better circumstances–and continue to open her arms to survivors and families who have lost a loved one due to gun violence. She wants to let these people know they have a community–and even if they don’t want it, the support is there if they need it.

“The reason I do what I do is because I am moved by people, and I like to move people with my words and my actions, and I have been moved vice versa, by those same things,” reflects Gomes.

Back in Rodrigue’s, the curious acquaintance Googled Gomes’ name. Much to his embarrassment, he was met with headlines reading, “Before and after Sandy Hook: 40 years of elementary school shooting survivors” and “What Survivors of Gun Violence Want You to Know About Being An Ally.” While pity flashed in his eyes, Gomes dismissed his apologies, trying to deflect any attention to her or her work. Still, the spirit of a passionate young activist lived on inside her.

“The future is worth fighting for,” said Gomes.

Jordan Gomes, a Fordham University Junior, perches on the shop counter while chatting with friends at Rodrigue’s Coffee House. (Photo by Lily Paturzo)

On a blistering June day in 2022, tens of thousands of people gathered in the heart of Washington D.C. for the March For Our Lives rally. Gomes and a few of her friends–who were also survivors–patiently waited backstage, trying to prepare for their speeches during the moment of silence. Suddenly, shouting cut through the somber silence and the crowd began to run, unsure if the man causing the commotion had a weapon.

“I was just frozen where I stood. I just couldn’t move, I didn’t know what to do,” recounted Gomes.

To her left, Gomes’ friend who survived the Oakland shooting, turned to Gomes unable to catch her breath and repeated, “I can’t do it, I can’t do it.” Immediately, Gomes grabbed both sides of her face and told her to just focus on her, leading her through a series of breathing exercises to calm her down.

“It was a moment of two people who really, really understood what the other person was feeling. We're able to help each other like that,” reflected Gomes on the connection she has with fellow survivors.