(DETROIT, MI) — Arielle Anderson, a 19-year-old Michigan State University student gunned down on campus, dreamed of becoming a surgeon.
She even planned to graduate early to get a head start on her career, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at her funeral Tuesday.
But “her future was robbed from her by a senseless act of violence,” the governor said at the service at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.
Anderson was one of three students shot and killed on Feb. 13. Five others were injured. The suspected gunman was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“While her life was cut short in the cruelest of ways, her impact is undeniable as I look around this church, as I listen to stories,” Whitmer said.
The teenager who loved photography and her family had “wisdom beyond her years,” the governor said.
Whitmer said Anderson had a “quiet confidence” and was known for her “loud compassion.”
In middle school, Anderson “led by example” and “was an advocate of making sure everyone belonged,” Roy Bishop Jr., deputy superintendent of Educational Services for Grosse Pointe Public Schools, said at the service. Two of the three victims of the shooting, including Anderson, were from Grosse Point.
Bishop called her drive and compassion inspirational.
In eighth grade mock elections, Anderson was voted most likely to succeed, and Bishop said “she would go on to do just that.”
When Anderson headed to high school, she announced she’d become a doctor, Bishop said.
In a college recommendation letter, Bishop said one of Anderson’s teachers described her as “hard-working, dedicated, talented and driven,” as well as “compassionate, thoughtful and mature.”
“She embraced her middle name, Diamond,” Bishop said. “She shined so bright for everyone to see.”
“Arielle’s life, her impact, her mere presence, has changed the world for the better,” Bishop said.
The 19-year-old is survived by her mother, father, grandparents, siblings and a great-grandmother.
Anderson was very close with her mom and had a special bond with her aunt, who has special needs and is nonverbal, her family said.
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