Uvalde in Their Own Words: Grieving mom pushes for answers

Ana Rodriguez's 10-year-old daughter, Maite, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting.

The little girl who wanted to be a marine biologist became an early face of the massacre when Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey said at a White House briefing that Maite's body could only be identified by her beloved green Converse.

As Rodriguez grieves, she's also speaking out, pushing for answers in the police response investigation and calling for stricter gun laws.

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

It's just like an emotional rollercoaster. It's gotten where the days are tolerable, and I think a part of that has to do with working, distracting myself. But on my tough days, it's complete loneliness.

It's just this dark cloud that's hanging over me, and sometimes it's hard to shake it off. I've struggled. I've struggled mentally and physically. You could have family around you, friends, and you can still feel completely alone. ...

There's no more Valentine's Days with her. There's no more birthdays for her, there's no more holidays for her. She won't get to experience that anymore. So it's just hard, just knowing that she just won't be there -- isn't here. ...

I think often, "How would her hair be today? How would her dressing style have changed in the last eight months? What awards would she have received?" And it's just brutal pain.

It's physical pain, too. It's just this pain in your chest. There's nothing that will ever make it go away.

Interviews have been condensed for length.