Google honors Alithia Haven Ramirez, a victim of the Uvalde shooting
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Alithia Haven Ramirez submitted her drawing to the Doodle for Google competition hoping to become an artist one day, but she fell victim to the Uvalde attack and Google decided to honor her.
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Alithia Haven Ramirez entered a drawing in the Doodle for Google competition in March and was honored in July by Google.
To honor a victim of the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, Google featured a drawing by her on a dedicated memorial page.
Alithia Haven Ramirez entered a drawing in the Doodle for Google competition in March, which gives kids the chance to compete to have their artwork featured on the search engine's home page.
When submitting her work, Ramirez, who wanted to become an artist when she grew up, had written that she wanted “the world to see my art and show the world what I can do, I want people to be happy when they see my passion in art.”
Alithia Haven Ramirez was a victim of the Uvalde attack that targeted elementary students at Robb Elementary School. The attack killed 18 students other than Ramirez and two adults.
“She was a very talented little girl. She loved to draw. She was really sweet, never getting into trouble,” Alithia’s grandmother Rosa Maria Ramirez said in an interview for ABC News. “She was drawing to be able to put her drawing in Google. She was trying to win the Google [contest].”
While Ramirez’s piece did not make it to the final rounds of the contest, Google highlighted her work to honor her and other victims of the shooting that shook the US.
In an interview for CNN, Google spokesperson Colette Garcia said that “in Alithia Ramirez’s 2022 Doodle for Google submission, she described her desire to show the world her art and everything she can do, and we’re committed to honoring those wishes and her legacy.”
"Her story and art profoundly touched us, and we wanted to honor her family’s request to share her unique talents that were so tragically taken as a result of senseless violence,” she added.
The Uvalde attack
An 18-year-old gunman shot dead 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school on May 24, the state's governor confirmed.
The assailant "shot and killed, horrifically and incomprehensibly, 19 students and killed two teachers," Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a news conference.
Abbott said the shooter had a handgun and possibly a rifle.
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