6-year-old girl shot last month prepares for first day of school

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's a question that will be asked countless times on the first day of school: what did you do on your summer vacation?

For one six-year-old girl, the answer is a painful one.

Zariah Muhammad was shot in the head on August 11th while playing outside with water balloons in Park Manor. A man walked up to her and her uncle, 22-year-old Davis McCray, and shot them both in the street. Zariah spent three days in the hospital after a bullet fractured her skull. Her uncle did not survive.

Zariah is one of at least 27 kids under 13 to be shot in Chicago this year, but despite the life-changing tragedy, she is excited for the first day of school.

"We'll get to play, get to go to science, get to go up to the computer area," Zariah said. "We get to do a lot of different stuff."

As the family got ready for tomorrow, Zariah's mother braided her hair to cover the bandage on her head.

"When she goes back to school it will all settle down," said Gloria Muhammad, Zariah's mother.

While Zariah may be all smiles, her mother said the shooting changed every child in their family.

"The only way they feel confident is when everybody in the family is around," said Muhammad. "If we walk around on the street, they want to hurry up and get home. It was never like that before."

Zariah heads back to Woodlawn Elementary school Tuesday morning as a changed child, including a new career goal.

"When I grow up I'm going to be a doctor because they help people get better," said Zariah. "I'm going to be in a kid's hospital."