CANTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - It was an exam day at MIAT Technical College in Canton. Tabitha Hardy noticed one of her classmates came in without his uniform on. He didn't talk to anybody, and he didn't get anything out. So she asked him what was going on.
She wasn't ready for the answer - but her response saved lives.
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Canton college student awarded for thwarting attack
Tabitha Hardy was not ready for the answer, but her response to it saved lives.
Her friend and fellow student Brianna Carelli was armed with a knife, and police say, ready to hurt himself and others.
"He kind of told me what he was planning, what was going on, so I took him to the hall and we had a long talk and I tried to distract him with other things," said Hardy. "(We) talked about music and things that he liked and I slowly got him out of the building and let my teacher know what was going on."
Police were called and arrested Carelli, who later pleaded guilty to two felonies and is serving time in prison.
Detective Joe Keimig says MIAT students and instructors are alive today because Tabitha put her safety and friendship on the line and did the hard thing.
"The easy route would've been to leave on her own and let everybody else kind of fend for themselves," Keimig said. "But she knew that she couldn't hesitate, she had to do the right thing."
"I'm glad the headline tonight is what is and it's not what it could've been because quite frankly, no one wants that for their community," said Joshua Meier, Canton Township public safety director.
And that's why this community, by way of the Canton Township board of trustees, is honoring Tabitha.
Despite the applause, Tabitha sees herself as no hero, just someone who did the right thing. someone who still wants the best for a friend.
"I hope he gets the help that after all that went down, hopefully, I helped stop him from making a decision that he would regret later on in life," she said. "And so hopefully he can get pushed in the right direction now."