She experienced firsthand how activism could lead to positive change, like seeing her friends’ names inscribed into a massive sign at the entrance to Santa Clarita’s Central Park, and she wanted to further her impact.

Tretta began working with Everytown for Gun Safety, leading public education campaigns on ghost guns and serving as one of the organization’s survivor fellows. She delivered speeches to local legislators and Moms Demand Action, and joined Students Demand Action’s advisory board — work that she continues today as the leader of Brown’s chapter. 

Tretta said she will never be the girl she was before the shooting, but she knew that Brown would be an ideal environment to nurture her passions while preparing for a career in public service and advancing her activism. 

“Brown is really the place where I felt like it could be a home,” Tretta said. “I really want to take this time to become the smartest, most well-rounded version of myself, and Brown is the place I can do that.” 

An avid performer, Tretta was thrilled to discover that Brown had 10 a cappella groups, and she found her musical home in the Ursa Minors. She also acted in Brown Opera Production’s performance of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” 

Drawn to the University’s signature Open Curriculum, Tretta said she’s leveraging the academic flexibility it affords by “reverse engineering” her concentration: She stepped foot on campus already knowing that she wanted to run for public office or work for a government agency addressing gun violence. Through her studies, she’s exploring which path to forge. 

During her first year at Brown, she enrolled in eight courses in seven different departments. After some particularly influential classes, she’s leaning toward a concentration in education. 

Meanwhile, her work with Students Demand Action at Brown has enabled more collaboration on the local level. 

Last fall, the student organization partnered with Brown’s Swearer Center and Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy to present a panel discussion, which she led with former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, community activists and researchers from Everytown for Gun Safety. Students Demand Action also holds phone banking sessions to advocate for gun-sense policy and recently hosted a trauma-informed training workshop to teach students how to handle conversations with gun violence survivors. They’re also partnering with MENTOR Rhode Island with the aim of cultivating meaningful, supportive mentoring relationships with local kids.

“We’re working to create a space for as many people on campus as possible to learn about gun violence prevention advocacy and the different solutions to gun violence,” Tretta said. “This year we’ve had a huge increase in the number of students [in Students Demand Action], so people are motivated to advocate on this issue and there is strength in numbers.”

Showing ‘how much gun violence really takes away’

When Tretta was a high school junior, she shared her story at the White House, introducing President Joe Biden before he announced a federal regulation to address the proliferation of ghost guns. A few months later, she introduced California Gov. Gavin Newsom before he signed Senate Bill 1327, which allows private individuals to sue people who illegally make or sell assault weapons or ghost gun parts, or who sell guns to those under 21. 

In 2023, as she was preparing to enroll at Brown, Tretta interned at the office of the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. There, she said she worked to maintain a survivor-centered advocacy approach while helping to organize the ATF’s inaugural Gun Violence Survivor’s Summit, held in April 2024. 

On the final day of the summit, Tretta delivered remarks during the unveiling of the “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit at the ATF headquarters, which features portraits of 118 people killed by gun violence of varying kinds, including Tretta’s best friend, Dominic Blackwell. 

“Every morning when they walk in, they’re looking at that wall and seeing 118 reasons why they’re doing this work,” she said. 

While pursuing her studies at Brown, Tretta has continued to advance gun control advocacy on the national stage. In August, she attended the 2024 Democratic National Convention where she spoke with officials and delegates and urged them to keep gun safety on their minds and on ballots as the rate of mass shootings in the United States soars. 

“Our country needs to realize how much gun violence really takes away,” she said. “Even with all the incredible things I’ve experienced, I would still go back to Nov. 13, 2019, and have none of this ever happen to me.”

As part of Tretta’s advocacy, she also contributes as a member of the Team ENOUGH executive council with the Brady: United Against Gun Violence organization. She participated in an Emmy Award-winning public service announcement put forth by Sandy Hook Promise, and she has participated in multiple panels, including at the Milken Institute Global Conference and South by Southwest, where she was joined by CEOs, lawyers, doctors and others dedicated to the cause. 

“The support of the people who have never had a personal experience with gun violence means so much to me,” Tretta said. “It has really showed me that no matter what space you’re in, no matter what your job title is, you can be an advocate and make change.” 

At Brown, she continues to lobby as a member of the Students Demand Action chapter and engages with the Rhode Island state legislature to help ensure that every child can safely attend school without the looming worry of an attack. 

“That will always be the most important thing to me,” Tretta said. “But at some point down the line, I hope that we as a country can stop having to talk about this. In 30 years, I hope I’m out of a job. That would be great.”