March 29, 2024

Memorial Vigil Unites Campus Community in Celebration of Life

On Friday May 8, over a hundred students, faculty, and staff members came together on Mound Street Plaza and inside Kabel Chapel to celebrate and honor the life of Alexandria “Alex” Goodwin.

The vigil, which was organized by the members of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, lasted roughly an hour and featured several speeches by students and faculty members who had been touched by Alex’s life. After the vigil, many more friends of Alex also shared their memories.

Campus community gathers to celebrate the life, and share memories of Alex Goodwin

“Alex was a role model to all. She would light up a room with her beautiful smile. She impacted every single person she encountered simply because she took a sad story and made it into something empowering,” said junior Cassidy Webber. “Alex put others first, but never forgot who she was along the way. I’m so proud of all she accomplished and she will forever change my life in a positive way. I thank her for who she was and hope the world continues to have more people as bright and as memorable as her.”

Many other students also spoke of Alex’s passion, impact, and warmth.

“I will always admire Alex’s courage,” said Tori Negrau, President of Phi Sigma Sigma. “She stood up for what she believed in and never let anyone talk her out of it. Her bubbly and bright personality is something that I will always remember and love about her. She was able to light up a room without even trying. She’s made such an impact on this campus, and in so many lives … I know her achievements will live on. We all miss her so much already.”

Alex inspired me everyday to always be honest and speak [my] mind,” said junior Ellie Fitzwater. “She helped me persevere through hard times, even when I wanted to quit. She shared a lot of her personal [struggles] with me to help me through my own problems. She was very genuine and thoughtful and always talking, mostly stories about her family. Alex was so important to me. She was my best friend.”

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Students, faculty, and staff hold a candle light vigil inside Kabel Chapel.

In addition to illustrating Alex’s overall influence on the lives of so many students on campus, other, lesser known facts of Alex’s life were also shared. Alex was shown by her friends to be someone who loved to dance and sing, even when there was no music, do squats in the shower, and go out on Thursday nights. In every area of her life Alex showed the world her wonderfully fun personality.

“[Alex was always] constantly dancing everywhere and anywhere … Her crazy loud laugh … you could hear from miles away, her presence surrounded each of us with perpetual love and joy,” said junior Anne Wesley. “[From] formal meetings to formal dances, Alex’s presence was one that was nothing less than radiant. She lit up each room she entered, she danced her way into our hearts and lives, and she will continue to dance through each of our memories forever … Each memory of Alex is more joyous than the last, and each memory of her sunny self, though bittersweet, reminds me to celebrate her for everything she was and is. Alex was a role model to each of us, a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. She will be forever celebrated, and forever missed.”

Alex was also a scholar and a leader in the campus community. As a rising junior, Alex already served as a co-director for orientation, and she was an active member of Phi Sigma Sigma. Alex was also a public relations major, and beloved by her professors.

“Her incredible personality … was a light on this campus,” said Sarah Behrent. “Alex was someone I looked up to in so many ways. She was her own person and not afraid to be who she wanted to be. She was someone that was there for anyone at anytime. Alex taught me so much. She thought me to laugh at everything and enjoy every moment life has to offer. She even taught me how to make pasta as a senior in college. Alex made my senior year one I will never forget. I will miss her bubbly laugh and smile that was larger then life. I will miss her running across campus to come give me a hug every time she sees me. I will simply miss every part of her, but [I] know she is watching every one of us. I know God’s plan is greater and he is loving her in a better place.”

In her twenty years of life, Alex impacted the lives of many, and, as was made clear at Friday’s vigil, though Alex has passed on the friendships she built on earth are unbreakable. In the eyes of her sisters, Alex is always a Phi Sigma Sigma, and all her friends share a hope that Alex’s passing is not “goodbye,” but rather a “see you later.”

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