Though green and quaint from the outside, Kappa Delta glowed inside of blue and white Thursday night from corner to corner.
One year after the death of UCF student and sister of Kappa Delta, Brooke Dawkins, the community honored and remembered her on March 5 at the Kappa Delta sorority house.
Family, friends, sisters of Kappa Delta, members of the UCF and Conway community wore BrookeStrong gear and all were dressed in blue and white; Dawkins’ favorite colors that have represented her and the foundation for the past year.
The chapter room, where dinner was held, sat individuals of all ages with one goal: to support and remember Brooke Dawkins.
The 19-year old was hit by a truck crossing Alafaya Trail and Gemini Blvd. early Feb. 23, 2014.
Dawkins spent ten days at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in the Intensive Center Unit where she received treatment for a traumatic brain injury, TBI. However, the injury resulted in irreversible brain loss and Dawkins was declared brain dead and removed from life support on March 5, 2014.
The Dawkins family and close friends created the BrookeStrong Foundation to honor Brooke and to use funds to support organizations that research TBI’s and survivors of TBI’s, according to the BrookeStrong website. The foundation is also working towards creating a scholarship for individuals who have overcome TBIs or aneurysms.
A slide show created by Brooke’s big sister in Kappa Delta, Kristin Stevenson and close friend, Gene Trujillo, played for the guests after dinner. The slideshow lit up the room with music and pictures of Dawkins and friends smiling during her time in high school and college. Dawkins’ parents and sister sat front row as they choked back tears with bowed heads and reminisced.
Brad Hutsell, a close friend of Dawkins, approached the front of the room with grace and purpose.
Hutsell played the guitar and sang a song he wrote especially for Dawkins: “Say a Prayer”. After the song, Dawkins’ mother, Laura, urged Hutsell to play “Blackbird” by The Beatles. Hutsell played the song at Dawkins’ funeral in early March last year. The song evoked tears among Dawkins’ family and close friends.
Dara Trujillo, a friend of the Dawkins family and mother to Gené, spoke on behalf of the loss expressing her love for the family and thanking everyone for their support.
“Brooke had nothing but a positive effect on people,” Trujillo reflected.
Around 8:00 p.m. the guests made their way to Lake Claire to illuminate the waters with twenty floating lanterns to represent Dawkins’ age. Close friends held blue and white balloons at the end of the pier as Gené Trujillo, prayed for strength and hope. The group released the balloons in sync and held each other near as they watched the balloons disappear into the night sky lit by a full moon.
Trujillo, a junior human communications major, said the balloons were to represent the seven lives Brooke’s organs saved.
“I felt a calming sense of peace when we released the balloons into the night sky,” said Trujillo. “I was reminded to see the beauty in all of this.”
Trujillo relived her moments with Dawkins following the memorial. Trujillo has known Dawkins for the past seven years and remembered the joy she brought to everyone around her. The two cheered together from 6th to 12th grade with Dawkins being “the perfect 1/4th” of their stunt group, being strong both physically and emotionally, said Trujillo.
“[Dawkins] was my comic relief, she lightened any heavy mood and was my source of comfort in KD freshmen year,” Trujillo said. “Brooke lived life how we all should – carefree, pigging out on anything that made her happy, and never letting emotions get the best of her – and she did it all with a smile on her beautiful face.”
Back at the sorority house, Angie Marini stood and admired angel wings handmade by the sisters of Kappa Delta. The feathers of the wings were created using small pieces of card-stock paper where each Kappa Delta sister wrote a note, memory or inspirational word in gold. Marini, a sophomore business major, said Dawkins was her best friend’s, best friend.
“It was different for me because I was still a senior in high school and my best friend had met a new best friend at college,” Marini thought she was being replaced, but when they all met, they clicked right away. “We all had the same sense of humor and [Dawkins] was one of the funniest people I had ever met; there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t laughing,” said Marini. “She also could eat as much as me and not feel guilty, which made us immediate friends.”
Marini drove from Clearwater, Fla. to support her best friend and the loss of someone they both admired. Marini only knew Dawkins for a few months and yet she said this tragedy taught her a great deal and reminded her to strive to be a better person every day.
“It is so important to let the people you love know because no one knows when the last time you will see someone will be,” said Marini. “Tonight was an incredible tribute to such a beautiful soul, I don’t think she would believe how many lives she has touched and just how deeply.”
“Tonight was light-hearted and positive, perfect for everyone who was having a tough week reliving these moments a year ago,” Trujillo said.
“Just looking around at the 100 plus people, I know it meant a lot to the Dawkins family to see all the support,” said Trujillo. “Mrs. Dawkins texted me after saying she loved being there with everyone and I know Mr. Dawkins has mentioned several times that being around us helps him.”
“This was a safe place to grieve and a healthy way of doing so; it couldn’t have been more beautiful.”
