HOLLAND, Mich. — The evening of Jan. 11, Hope College lost one of its own. Junior Jennifer Kasunick was hit and killed by a train near 10th and Lincoln. Now, students and faculty from all across campus are coming together to honor her legacy and remember the impact that she left on the university.
“I heard a student today say that she just never had a negative thing to say about anything," said Becky Starkenburg, Vice President for Student Formation and Dean of Students. "She just was always encouraging and uplifting others, blessing others, which I just think is such a testament to her story and her life.”
Starkenburg says Kasunick was a light to everyone around her. “It’s just been beautiful to see how people have rallied to support each other, but boy, we're going to miss Jennifer," Starkenburg said. "We really are.”
Kasunick died at just 20 years old. The call came in to the Holland Department of Public Safety at 6:19 p.m. Kasunick was transferred to a local hospital shortly after the accident, where she was declared dead.
But Kasunick's light remains bright on Hope’s campus. "Last night, about 1,000 students gathered in our chapel to just pray for the family and to grieve and lament together and to turn our eyes toward the hope we have in Christ," Starkenburg said.
Kasunick was known for playing in the orchestra, and whether they knew her or not, students like freshman Mckinnis Ramirez remember Kasunick as a fixture on campus. "I remember she was in the orchestra here, and I remember seeing her and her service dog playing up there,” Ramirez said.
Kasunick never went anywhere without her service dog, Rowdy. She was blind, but she refused to let that stop her from pursuing her life’s goals. “Jennifer said that 80% of blind individuals are unemployed, and she was committed to being part of the other 20%.”
Kasunick was also an RA and served in Student Congress. “I don't think there's a single Hope student that doesn't know Jennifer,” Starkenburg said.
To know her is to love her. Now, Hope College has loved and lost.
“It makes us really appreciate life," Ramirez said. It makes us appreciate how precious life is. And I believe that Hope has definitely come together as a community to mourn.”
As everyone mourns, Starkenburg has one more thing to say to Kasunick. “I just hope that your sight has been restored, and that you're seeing Jesus and that we can live in that hope.”
Jennifer Kasunick — a life everyone says radiated with love and light. “Her life was cut short," Starkenburg said. "We know that she's with Jesus, and yet we grieve.”
The Holland Department of Public Safety will continue to investigate this case, but for now, what we can confirm is that Kasunick's service dog, Rowdy, is safe and back with her family.
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