Candlelight flooded the front lawn of the administration building as hundreds of people gathered to honor and remember the lives of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves.
The candlelight vigil was held on the tragedy’s one-year anniversary and was completely organized by students.
Four students spoke in memory of the victims, each being a representative of a Greek chapter with which the victims were associated. The speakers were Heather Blaschka, Pi Beta Phi; Zanna Miller, Pi Beta Phi; Darius Myers, Sigma Chi; Madison Whitney, Alpha Phi.
Heather Blaschka spoke on behalf of Madison Mogen. She described the kind of person Mogen was.
“When reaching out to friends, there were many kind words that were used to describe Maddy. The most common being: kind, loving, genuine, driven, stunning, outgoing, but most important of all; bright.” Blaschka said.
Madison Whitney was the next speaker. She spoke on behalf of Kaylee Goncalves. Whitney began her speech by reading a letter from Jaden Anderson, Goncalves’ little sister in Alpha Phi.
“Kaylee Goncalves had a contagious laugh; I mean you could hear it in the other room. It was so unapologetically her. I miss this laugh every day. She laughed often at herself and with others. Kaylee was beautiful inside and out.” Whitney said.
Zanna Miller was the next speaker and she spoke on behalf of Xana Kernodle. She spoke about the love and support from the Moscow community that her Greek chapter received after the tragedy.
“The amount of support and tenderness our chapter received in and outside of our community was one of the most incredible things to be a part of, but also be able to witness. This love spread beyond just our house. Campus grew into a tighter-knit community, and Greek life reached a whole new level of appreciation and respect, almost as if we valued each other more.” Miller said.
Darius Myers was the final speaker. He spoke on behalf of Ethan Chapin and concluded the eulogies.
“I read somewhere that when you lose a person you love, you gain an angel. We have four amazing angels watching over all of us today. My life will never be the same without you Ethan, but I’ll try everyday to live life like you did.” Myers said.
Lily Winde, a student at UI who attended the event, shared her feelings about the vigil.
“Seeing how many people were here was so impactful. It showed me that this community truly cares that we lost four wonderful students. To me it meant that we have not forgotten what happened, we still absolutely care about the friends and family of the victims.” Winde said.
Lauren Rendahl, a student at WSU who attended the event, also shared her thoughts about the vigil.
“Being here means being supportive of our community. Especially being from a small town and having Pullman and Moscow being so close it means standing up for your community. Being here for the community and being here for the students that lost their lives is very important to me.” Rendahl said.
Gabrielle Bowman, another student from WSU who attended the vigil, also shared her feelings about the vigil.
“I think this vigil showed how strong and wide this community is as a whole. This is a very sad time, but it’s important to reflect back and remember the good times and to hear from those that were friends of the students.” Bowman said.
Ben DeWitt can be reached at [email protected] or on X @BenDeWitt123