Ka Yan “Karen” Kwok touched and forever changed the
lives of numerous people in her life of 18 years.
Close friends and acquaintances came to a memorial held in
Kwok’s honor in the Rieber Activity Room Tuesday evening to
share fond memories of her.
“She was full of sincerity and had a genuine heart. She
truly cared for others,” said Kylie Hwang, a first-year
comparative literature student and friend of Kwok.
Kwok’s roommate clearly remembered their first meeting
when they moved into the residence hall fall quarter last year.
“When I first saw her, she had this beautiful, beautiful
smile. She was such a gentle person, the nicest person ever,”
said Aida Sun, a first-year molecular, immunology and molecular
genetics student.
Kwok’s other roommate had happy memories about their time
together.
“Karen had innocence that I never dreamed of. When I was
around her, I couldn’t stop laughing,” said Yihong
“Annie” Kuang.
Those who had just met Kwok expressed a similar positive
impression of her.
“From what I know about her, I was really motivated by the
joy she always carried with her,” said Joanna Olsen, a
first-year biochemistry student who met Kwok through Campus Crusade
for Christ, a on-campus religious group.
Samantha Wu, a first-year biology student who shared high school
orchestra with Kwok, wiped damp eyes with a Kleenex from a tissue
box that had been passed around.
Though a sad event overall, light moments filled the room
intermittently as cheerful experiences were remembered.
“We were playing with the super glue, and I asked,
“˜Karen, can you feel your hands?’ and then we turned
over the bottle and read the back where it said “˜Avoid skin
contact,'” Sun jokingly said.
A video presentation of Kwok’s photographs left the
audience silent, except for an occasional sniffle.
The memorial ended with people flipping through a scrapbook of
Kwok’s pictures and signing a guestbook that will be sent to
her parents.
Kwok passed away the morning of April 20 at Garfield Medical
Center after feeling sick the previous weekend and visiting her
doctor on April 18.
The cause of death is unconfirmed but believed to be the result
of a heart infection and “not communicable,” university
officials said earlier.
A poster near the elevator doors of Rieber Three North, where
Kwok lived, told passersby, “We love you, Karen.”