On the east side of the Education Building, in the lawn next to the parking lot, stands a newly-planted evergreen tree.
“It’s a continual sign of life,” said Liz Wenger, who helped organize the planting. “It’s what we want to do to remember Heather.”
The tree was planted in memory of Heather Ahuero, a second-year graduate student in the College Student Personnel program, who died last November. Friday afternoon, Ahuero’s friends and co-workers gathered to remember her personality, character and the good times they shared.
Wenger began the event and started to say something, then paused.
“I brought this piece of paper today, and I’m not going to read it,” she said.
Instead, she stood in front of approximately 40 people observing the event and spoke about her friend and the impact Ahuero had on campus.
Carolyn Palmer, an associate professor in higher education and student affairs, spoke next.
She described Ahuero as “one of the happiest people I’ve ever known.”
Palmer shared a story she heard from Ahuero’s family about how on the first day of kindergarten, Ahuero woke her parents up in the middle of the night because she was ready to go.
Palmer said this commitment, this eagerness Ahuero showed at a young age stayed with her for the rest of her life.
Tim Shaal, the senior coordinator of academic programs in Residence Life, then got into the center of the semi-circle around the tree and commented on the myriad of people there to show Ahuero’s impact on campus.
“Really, I got to know her this year,” he said.
He said once he began to get to know her, he noticed one aspect of her office first.
“One of the first things I noticed was a picture on her desk,” Shaal said.
The picture was of Ahuero, her father and her sister in jumpsuits from the skydiving trip she took.
Shaav spoke about Ahuero’s love of travel, adventure, nature and the students she advised.
“I think it really reflects the things she valued,” he said about the tree.
When Shaal finished and as the HeeBeeBGs sang, two students went to the tree and began filling in the hole. They then passed the shovel along to more students, and each had a turn to cover the roots to help finish planting the tree.
During her reflection about Ahuero, Palmer also shared a poem by Will Allen Dromgoole, called “The Bridge Builder.”
The poem is about a man who came across a chasm and, instead of turning around, built a bridge to help himself and others after him get across.
“In many ways, Heather was a bridge builder,” Palmer said. “All along the way she stopped and built bridges large and small. As one who passed along one of those bridges, I say, thank you Heather.”
