Josselin Corea Escalante, a ‘bright and compassionate young woman,’ dreamed of being a doctor

Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, was a daughter, sister and niece.

She played soccer and hoped to one day become a doctor.

Escalante lost her life on Wednesday after a shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville. A fellow student opened fire in the cafeteria, killing Escalante and injuring another student. The assailant then fatally shot himself.

Escalante was a sophomore at the AHS, which has about 2,000 students and is part of Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Escalante’s father, German Corea Escalante, spoke with NewsChannel 5 on Wednesday. He expressed that he never would have imagined that his daughter would not come home that day. 

“Every day I told her how much I loved her,” he said. “It’s not fair.” 

The news station also spoke with Escalante’s aunt, Maria Coria Escalante. 

“Oh god, she was my girl,” she said. “She was a very calm girl and well-behaved. She had good grades in school. She was a girl who loved her parents and all her family.”

Escalante was born in 2008 in Los Amates, Izabal, Guatemala and moved to the U.S. at the age of 9 with her mother and younger brother, according to La Hora, a newspaper in Guatemala.

This is beautiful Josselin Corea Escalante. She was only 16 years old and lost her life today after a shooting inside Antioch High School. @FOXNashville pic.twitter.com/foYwmDRQdD

— Amanda Chin (@amandachintv) January 23, 2025

The family is planning to transport her body back to her home country, according to a GoFundMe organized by Linci Escalante.  

“Josselin, a bright and compassionate young woman, dreamed of becoming a doctor. Just last year, she celebrated her Quinceañera, a milestone filled with joy and hope for the future,” the page states. 

“Her parents, hardworking members of the community, dedicated their lives to giving their children the opportunities they never had. Now, their dream of seeing Josselin graduate and achieve her goals has been cruelly cut short.”