From left: Hannah McNeal, Christiana Konugres, Marlee Tillman, Kailey Locke at community support gathering for Anna Bui. (Jama Abdirahman photo)
Anna Bui was celebrated for her intelligence, energy and smile – a smile now missing from University of Washington Bothell campus.
The celebration came with a few tears Monday at a community support gathering at the Activities and Recreation Center. Fellow students, faculty and staff shared their memories of the 19-year-old Everett resident who was one of three people killed early Saturday in Mukilteo at a gathering of a group of friends who had known each other from Kamiak High School.
Bui was a pre-major entering her second year at UW Bothell. She made the dean’s list every quarter of her first year, Chancellor Wolf Yeigh recalled in his remarks.
“We are all terribly shaken by this tragedy,” Yeigh said. “This is a time for us to unite and support one another through compassion.”
Yeigh received permission from the governor’s office to lower the flag on campus Monday in her memory.
Instructors recalled Bui as an exceptional student.
“She was incredibly intelligent and always had a ready smile, which is the picture of her I keep in mind,” said Kris Kellejian, director of composition, first year and pre-major programs. She had had Bui in two classes: interdisciplinary writing and research writing. “Anna was a bright light in both classes.” Photo: Community support gathering.
“In addition, she had a wonderful attitude about all of the work that I sent her direction, all of which she completed with absolute integrity and excellence. She was sweet and friendly, and always helpful to others,” said Kellejian, who was not able to attend the support gathering in person.
“In June, I met with her to discuss her aspirations for a career in medicine, which is an indicator of both the height of her aspirations and her desire to be of help to her community,” Kellejian said.
Andreas Brockhaus, director of learning technologies, taught Bui in the Discovery Corps class “Hack the classroom! Learning in the Digital World.”
“She was an excellent student, always asking questions, interested in the topic, often had a big smile on her face,” Brockhaus said. “She was really energetic and enjoyed working with the groups she was in. She was great to have in class.”
Kathy Mitchell, pre-major academic adviser, also remembered Bui for her joy and smile. They last met just a couple of weeks ago on July 13.
“She was so looking forward to a future helping other people,” Mitchell told the gathering.
Two Facebook photos of Anna Bui, left and center, Instagram photo right.
The president of Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell, Tanya Kumar, said, “We lost a beautiful, smart and beloved student on campus.”
Several students who had shared a class with Bui were stunned to realize they would never see her again.
“She left others feeling loved, she left other feeling happy, she left others feeling like a better person,” said Leah Shin, who remembered Bui as a talented singer and guitar player.
For a class project they created a band called “Beardslee Boulevard.” Shin says she’ll picture Bui walking on campus, laughing and making jokes.
Hannah McNeal says Bui was smart, outgoing and always came to class happy.
“Never ever would I have suspected something like this would happen,” McNeal said.
A nursing student who shared a writing class with Bui was nearly speechless at the idea her classmate is gone.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Christiana Konugres said, “I can’t believe it.”
In closing, Counseling Center Director Rosemary Simmons encouraged everyone impacted by the loss to take advantage of professional support services. They include:
- Counseling Center
- UW Carelink
- UW Bothell CARE Team
- Campus Safety
