The judges of America’s Got Talent were left stunned by the audition of Ava Swiss, a school shooting survivor.
Swiss is an 18-year-old senior at Oxford High School, the Michigan school where a gunman claimed the lives of four students last November, injuring seven others.
Appearing on the popular US talent show, Swiss delivered an emotional rendition of “Remember” by Lauren Daigle.
All four judges were visibly moved by her performance, giving the contestant a standing ovation.
“It’s been hard,” the teenager said at the start of her appearance. “I remember my brother and I, we were talking to each other, and we said there’s no way we were ever stepping foot back in the school. But we’ve actually been in person in school for about two months now, so things are getting better.”
“When I sing [this song], I remember the good. I remember my community, my family – just the love and I remember that it’s all there for me and it’ll help me get where I need to be,” she added. “So that’s why I’m so grateful I’m able to be here today and I can share it with more people than I ever thought I could.”
Simon Cowell described the moment as “one of those auditions that I’ll never forget”.
Fellow judge Sofia Vergara said: “It took my breath away. You were not just singing, you were showing us your feelings and it gave me goosebumps.”
The full performance can be watched here.
