BLOOMINGTON — Tiffanie Vo came to Indiana University Bloomington in the fall of 2022.
Just months later, an Asian-American student was attacked on a city bus.
“It was terrifying because I would take the bus frequently. That was my main transportation," Vo said.
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The attacker, 57-year-old Billie Davis, stabbed an 18-year-old student in the head seven to 10 times.
Police say Davis targeted the victim because of her race.
“It hit harder because I’m an Asian woman. That was the target," Vo said.
Vo, like many AAPI students, sought solace at the Asian Culture Center.
“The center was here. And I knew that they were having rallies and I knew they were trying to bring people together," she said.
Fast forward to almost two years later, Davis pleaded guilty to committing a federal hate crime in September.
She will spend six years in prison with three years of supervised release.
Senior Katelyn Wo was there at the sentencing.
“It was very emotional kinda hearing from everybody," Wo said. “To me, this just says we won’t tolerate people being racist or that are not making our communities safe and making our students feel unsafe.”
Wo says the outcome of this case gives her hope.
“Just show the world that we don’t stand for racism and hate," she said.
