(WETM) – A week ago today, Michigan State University experienced tragedy. Grace Wennerberg was one of the hundreds of Michigan State students on campus during the MSU shooting that left 3 students dead and 5 in the hospital.

At the time of the shooting, Grace was at a fashion club meeting. The group meets every Monday at 8 PM at Bessey Hall which is just a short walk away from Berkey Hall, where the initial shots were fired.

“The sirens were indefinite. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing them,” Wennerberg said. “The number of cop cars that I saw was insane and the number of people running was unimaginable.”

Grace received a text message from the university on her phone that night at 8:31 PM. The text read, “MSU Police report shots fired incident occurring on or near the East Lansing campus. Secure-in-Place immediately. Run, hide, fight.”

With no official instruction from the police department, the club organizers gave students the option of barricading in place or going home. Knowing the shooter was moving on campus, Grace decided to take the risk and run to her car.

“I remember running as fast as I possibly could,” Wennerberg said. “Every few seconds I would turn around and just keep looking because we didn’t know where the shooter was at this time.”

Fortunately, Grace made it to her car which was parked in a nearby lot, and was able to make the short trip back to her apartment safely. Once she arrived at her home, she barricaded herself in her room making sure she was laying low with all of the lights off.

Video of the suspect walking near campus surfaced quickly on social media. At one point, Wennerberg saw a video of the suspect walking right past her apartment. The next few hours were overwhelming. She recalls realizing just how surreal the tragedy was.

“Campus immediately emptied so quickly, everyone went home. It turned into a ghost town,” Wennerberg said. “Seeing that made it real for me. It was devastating and people’s lives were lost that should never have been lost.”

Now, Grace along with the rest of the MSU community is working on healing. A vigil called Spartan Sunday was held this weekend where the community came together as one to honor the lives lost but to also spread hope for a brighter future.

“We can give him (the shooter) the satisfaction. That just proves that he won,” Wennerberg said. “We have to get back up, be strong, and resilient, and our university has done an amazing job. Everyone is coming together stronger, but it’s going to take some time to heal.”