I saw this post on Facebook that want to share: “Just attended the memorial Vigil for my student Lauren McCluskey. She was a cool and unique soul - beautiful inside and out. Only 21 years young with her hope's and dreams ahead of her, Lauren was tragically gunned down this weekend outside her dorm room by an ex-boyfriend she had been dating for a month. The toughest part for me and anyone who knew her is that she of all people, always made everybody around her better. No matter who you were - young and old, student, fellow track team member or faculty member like me, she inspired us to say, "I like me best when I'm with you, I want to see you again."
As I taught my class in Advanced Public Speaking every Monday night at the University of Utah, 20 students and I gathered together every week in an intimate setting in the Communications Building to study the art of writing and telling powerful inspirational stories, the science of writing and delivering polished informative, entertaining, provocative and persuasive speeches, and the formulas for communicating in a deeper more meaningful way. This required that we trust enough to create a safe environment where we could be vulnerable, open and fearless in our chosen speech topics and classroom discussions.
Every one of my students would tell you that it was Lauren, who from the very first class, stepped up to set the bar for honesty and integrity and acceptance of one another. I will always remember her mellow speeches and calm approach to life and school and quiet voice that soothed our souls while she communicated love and support with only her smile.
My final examination at the end of the semester I called the "Last Lecture," where each student delivered a 4 to 7 minute speech on the premise if they had one hour to live, what message would they want to leave to the world, their family and friends. Lauren was the first to volunteer to speak, and to be honest, she was so outstanding and engaging and entertaining and provocative with her unique ability to tell a story that I joined her fellow students in withering 'I hope I don't have to follow her!"
I remember her track stories of the thrill of victory and the agony of being seriously injured and having to fight through both the heart break of disappointment and energy draining discouragement of physical pain. Her chosen topic of keeping hope alive, accepting the fact that overcoming obstacles is part of our every day lives, and therefore we should never say never, and love and accept yourself so you automatically love and accept everyone, will be her legacy message to the world.
To sum up her lasting impact on me as a teacher and as an honor student athlete who exemplified sophisticated elegance and a humble yet confident sense of purpose in every situation, let me say that Lauren is in a class by herself. But that was not her style. She loved life and to be with people. So in her memory let me say, "Whatever class she is in as a whole - it don"t take too long to call the roll."
Guaranteed Lauren is not dead, but simply graduated to the other side where her reward is obviously heaven because she created heaven on earth. RIP amazing Lauren. I will always remember your unique tranquil yet burning desire to be everything you were born to be and to leave every person and place in better shape than you found us.
I agree with the powerful words of Sir Terry Pratchett shared at the memorial vigil by a former student athlete: " No one is actually dead until the ripples she caused in the world fade away." God bless us all to leave a lasting legacy in the way Lauren did as we now live our lives as her "ripples" to continuously make our friendships, university experience, community and world as wonderful and peaceful as she would.”
What a sweet tribute! Lauren represents many 21 year olds out there who find themselves in the wrong places meeting the wrong people. She met her killer at a bar. He was using extortion techniques to get money from her. Lauren was too trusting and too naïve to see the evil in this man who lied about his age and his criminal record. She was 21 and he was 37 and was on parole which means that he had been doing time in prison for committing sex crimes.
There are Despicable and evil people in this world. Let’s this sink in EVIL is real and there are people indeed who do harm to others for no reason. They do exist and that is the problem with so many young adults who are so kind and so compassionate that they trust easily anyone. I am sure she is in heaven because she did not know any better but what a lesson to learn from her tragic ending. I can’t imagine the pain her family must be feeling at the moment.
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