A Sadness in My Heart

I found out this morning that one of my students was killed in a horrific accident while she and a friend were vacationing on spring break. My student was young, intelligent, and full of life; she was a rising star, beautiful and brilliant in every way. She was excited to be in my course, and talked with great enthusiasm about her final paper. I still have her proposal on my desk. I wrote, "Looks great! Go for it!" And now I won't be able to return it to her or see her ever again.

No matter how many times I've mourned the loss of life with my students over the years as a professor, nothing can ever prepare anyone for such a tragedy. My heart goes out to the family and to the many friends who had the privilege of knowing her. I am thankful, and deeply humbled, to have known her, and I will always remember her not as the star who fell from the sky, but as an angel who took a detour to heaven.