Oxford School Shooting Survivor Wows 'America's Got Talent' Judges With Tearful Ballad

OXFORD, MI — A 2022 Oxford High School graduate, who was inside the school when a fellow student opened fire and killed four students, stunned judges on "America’s Got Talent" with a heart-filled performance.

Ava Swieczkowski, 18, who goes by the performing name Ava Swiss, was auditioning for the show when she sang "Remember" by Lauren Daigle, a song that includes emotional lyrics such as, "In the darkest hour, when I cannot breathe, fear is on my chest, the weight of the world on me."

Swiss said she chose the song because it helps her cope with the deadly Oxford school shooting that left four fellow students dead and seven others wounded on Nov. 30.

"When I sing ("Remember,") I remember the good, and I remember my community, my family, just the love, and I remember that it's all there for me."

As Swiss tearfully finished her heart-wrenching performance, cheers and praise rained down from everyone in attendance as all four judges gave her a "yes" vote.

"In life, it's tough to show up, especially after going through incredible trauma," America's Got Talent Judge Howie Mandel said. "The fact that you can break through that and shine the way you did today is so inspirational."

Swiss's performance also left AGT Judge Sofia Vergara speechless.

"It took my breath away," Vergara said. "You were not just singing, you were showing us your feelings, and it gave me goosebumps."

In addition to her audition for AGT, Swiss also sang at a candlelight vigil for the Oxford school shooting victims, performing R&B artist Andra Day’s "Rise Up."

Swiss sang the national anthem on numerous occasions, including at the Little Caesars Arena before a Detroit Pistons game and before Oakland County Executive David Coulter's State of the County speech.