Two weeks after the deadly school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, Isaac Sanguma is taking matters into his own hands to honor the four victims— one of whom was his algebra teacher. The 16-year-old wrote an original song dedicated to the victims. Although it hasn’t been released yet, the song’s snippet has already reached over 15 million views on TikTok and has touched the hearts of all who listen.
Sept. 4 started off as a normal school day for the Apalachee High School junior. According to Sanguma, he bumped into his fourth period math teacher, Christina Irmie, 53, that morning, and she even took the time to check in on him. “I had threw up yesterday, so she asked me if I was okay,” Sanguma told Gayle King on CBS News. “I be coming to class late, so she was begging me to come to class on time today,” he continued.
But before Sanguma could make it to fourth period, 14-year-old Colt Gray walked into the school and opened fire. Sanguma and his second period class evacuated safely, and it wasn’t until he got home that he learned Ms. Irmie was one of the four victims killed. “I didn’t know that was going to be my last time seeing her and talking to her,” he said.
When asked to describe his teacher, Sanguma said she “was really nice.” He added even though he struggled with math and was retaking algebra with Irmie, “she never made me feel ashamed about it. She never made me feel dumb.”
In a recent TikTok post, he wrote, “The day she died she had the fattest smile on her face with her lil dimples when she seen me...” He continued, “man I wish I could go back and give her [a] hug.”
Like the greater Apalachee community, Sanguma is still trying to process the deadly shooting. So the 16-year-old, whose rap name is “Lezone,” transformed his pain into music honoring Irmie and the other victims lost (Mason Schermerhorn, 14; Christian Angulo, 14; and Richard Aspinwall, 39).
The lyrics of Sanguma’s song, titled “Forever Irmie,” paint the vivid picture of the devastating reality the Apalachee community must now face. He raps “I’m still trying to process this drama / Another mother lost her child, it could’ve been my mama / Won’t see Ms. Irmie for a while, man I can’t cope this trauma.
“It’s crazy two lil girls won’t grow up with their father / School ain’t gon’ be the same, I gotta keep my guard up / Can’t break down, I know Ms. Irmie want me to go harder.”
Since Sanguma dropped the now viral snippet, over 300 TikTok videos have been made using its audio. He also said record labels are reaching out to sign him. His song is set to be released this Friday (Sept. 20).
Obviously still dealing with the loss of his schoolmates and one of his favorite teachers, Sanguma told the Atlanta Journal Constitution “making the song is helping me—bringing me comfort.” He added, “I really wanted a song that everyone could relate to.”
The 16-year-old just wrapped up filming a music video for “Forever Irmie” on the school’s campus, which is set to hit the Net after the song’s official release. You can pre-save Sanguma’s song here.