Amy Woolington loved to dance, and friends and family members said she worked to bring out that same sort of enthusiasm in everyone around her.
She will be remembered by those who knew her as someone who was passionate about her life and who pushed others to pursue what made them happy.
Woolington died in a sledding accident at a ski resort last weekend while on a trip to Utah with her friends.
“She was on an inner tube sledding on the ski runs, took a wrong turn, and crashed,” said Capt. John Rogert of the Deer Crest Police Department. “It can get 20 below here on some nights and the runs are pure ice; it wouldn’t take long to get a very high speed.”
Woolington, a fourth-year philosophy student, grew up outside Los Angeles and took dance classes at the Peninsula School of Performing Arts in Palos Verdes.
She was devoted to her dancing throughout her childhood and her interests stretched from ballet to jazz and hip-hop.
After graduating with honors from Rolling Hills Prep, she attended UC Berkeley for two years and then transferred to UCLA because she missed the Los Angeles dance community.
Danielle Perkel, a fourth-year philosophy student and friend of Woolington, said the morning of her death Woolington told her she would take a few years off before applying to law schools to try and pursue hip-hop dance professionally.
Woolington was devoted to her Jewish faith, so much so that conversations with her Rabbi prompted her decision to be a philosophy student.
Perkel remembered a time Woolington wanted to celebrate Hanukkah on another ski trip in Utah. Amy couldn’t find a menorah, so to celebrate the holiday she cut several holes in a loaf of sourdough bread and lit the candles from those holes.
“She was a funny, sweet girl who made everyone laugh,” Perkel said. “She was so much fun and so sweet.”
Woolington was described by her family and friends as committed to accomplishing what she set her mind to.
“She had multiple jobs and a full course load, but she would still go out and party with her friends,” Perkel said. “She put so much on her plate and did so well in everything.”
Perkel remembered Woolington as being especially committed to her academics.
“She was one of those people in office hours all the time. She studied way more work than she was supposed to,” she said. “She was absolutely brilliant.”
Jennifer Cambra, a fourth-year communications student and friend of Woolington, said when she met Woolington they had an instant connection.
“When I first met her I knew she was one of those people you would be friends with for the rest of her life,” Cambra said. “She loved cuddling ““ one time a friend yelled at her for cuddling too much. All of our memories with her are amazing, because she’s that type of person.”
Pam Weiss, Amy’s mother, described her daughter as an outgoing, supportive person.
“Amy was, she was just bright, in her aura. She was happy. She was bubbly, vivacious, outgoing. She was a perfectionist,” Weiss said.
Weiss said Woolington would always embrace life and she was constantly learning about the things around her.
“She loved to travel, always wanting to go someplace. She had signed up for a Buddhism class for this quarter, because we were planning a trip to Thailand this summer,” Weiss said.
“She was a true student of life and really embraced everything she could.”
Woolington’s friends and family all described her as a giving and supportive person, always influencing those around her.
“The unique thing about Amy is that she had an effect on (people). She was endearing,” Weiss said.
Perkel said Woolington always pushed her to be better.
“She made everyone around her a better person and pushed her friends to do what they loved,” Perkel said.
Amy is survived by her parents, Pam Weiss and John Woolington, and her sister Claire Woolington.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at the Temple Beth El. The address is 1436 West 7th St., San Pedro, CA 90731.