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Uvalde victim’s mother perseveres through teaching, connecting with daughter’s memory

Veronica Mata visits the gravesite of her daugher, Tess, in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. For Mata, teaching kindergarten in Uvalde after her daughter was among the 19 students who were fatally shot at Robb Elementary School became a year of grieving for her own child while trying to keep 20 others safe. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Veronica Mata visits the gravesite of her daugher, Tess, in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. For Mata, teaching kindergarten in Uvalde after her daughter was among the 19 students who were fatally shot at Robb Elementary School became a year of grieving for her own child while trying to keep 20 others safe. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

By ACACIA CORONADO / Associated Press 7 min read


UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The first thing Veronica Mata sees when she wakes up each day is her 10-year-old daughter, Tess, smiling down at her from a photo perched on her bedside table.

Speaking to the silent image of the child she lost in one of the United States’ most notorious mass shootings, Mata asks for the fortitude to go on and to be a good teacher.

“I just look at it and I just tell her, ‘Tess, give me the strength, baby girl. Help me get up.’”

Throughout the day, every day, Mata carries her daughter with her: “Tess 10″ is written on her license plate. Dangling from the silver bracelet she wears on her left wrist is a charm that reads, “Uvalde Strong.” The slogan, adopted by other U.S. cities after mass killings, became the mantra of her town after Tess, 18 other fourth-grade students and their two teachers were gunned down at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022.