Happy, upbeat, fun-loving. A caring friend, a fearless dancer and an amateur hairdresser for her friends. In these ways, and many more, friends of the late Olivia Spurlock lovingly described her at a candlelight vigil held Monday night to remember the student’s life.
More than 130 students, friends and faculty members attended the candlelight vigil at Harris Field to commemorate Spurlock’s life after her death last week.
Spurlock was a sophomore who studied mechanical engineering and was a resident advisor at Sullivan Hall. Outside of school, she volunteered at Raleigh Girls Club and was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Attendees at the vigil spoke about their memories of Spurlock and the impact she made.
“I watched Olivia grow. We shared the same interests, whether it be in majors or different interests in music, but she was truly a beautiful person,” said Yazmin Connor, a junior studying mechanical engineering, president of NSBE and a resident advisor for the engineering village. “She truly impacted everyone who she interacted with.”
Megan Branch, a senior studying nutrition science, recalled her last encounter with Spurlock on the bus.
“She had a very contagious smile,” Branch said. “I saw her on the bus and she seemed tired like a typical college student, but still had a good energy about her, laughing and joking as usual.”
Rachel Eggleston, a sophomore studying criminology, also remembered Spurlock’s smile.
“Her laugh, her smile is something that I will never forget because it was uniquely her own,” Eggleston said. “It was just a really bright laugh and smile that went perfectly with who she was.”
Spurlock’s counselor at an NC State African American Symposium she attended, Tyler Allan, a first-year graduate student in comparative biomedical sciences, recalled her constant vibrant personality and ability to smile at anything.
“You could tell she had her head on straight,” Allan said. “The light at NC State is definitely going to shine because of Olivia.”
Resident advisors recalled the fun they had while working with her. They shared stories from their times behind the 24-hour desk, during move-in and at training conferences.
“I think we can all say that in the those few months she touched our lives so much,” said Jess Kraus, a sophomore studying park management and recreation and a resident advisor at Sullivan Hall. She spoke of how she and Spurlock used to laugh at inside jokes together.
College of Engineering Associate Dean Jerome Lavelle attended on behalf of the college, offered his condolences and reminded the crowd that the vigil was a shared experience of outpouring and remembrance.
“Tonight we connect our experiences with her to each other, we remember together, we embrace together and in the end we move forward with this experience tonight and the memories we share of Olivia in inspired ways,” Lavelle said. “Tonight is about grieving, sadness, but just as importantly tonight is about joy and it’s about reflection and it’s about remembrance of the life that Olivia lived,”
Mike White, the pastor of Christ Our King Community Church, offered a more spiritual perspective of healing.
“May this memory lead to meaning,” White said. “The legacy of her life will go on because of those who loved her.”
Attendees were encouraged to sign a memory book that would be sent to Spurlock’s family in eastern Virginia.
“This was a great way for the community to come together and help in the recovery process,” said Justine Hollingshead, assistant to the Vice Chancellor and Dean for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs.
Students who did not know Spurlock still attended the vigil to pay their respects. Harsha Ravuri, a junior studying computer science, heard about the vigil through Facebook.
“I didn’t think anything like this would happen at NC State,” he said. “People should be more aware that this is a possibility and a reason to be nice to everyone.”
Staff members found Spurlock’s body in her dorm room in Sullivan Hall last Tuesday morning. University Police Chief Jack Moorman confirmed the death as a suicide.
Counseling Center Director Monica Osburn spoke at the end of the vigil, offering counseling services to anyone impacted by Spurlock’s death and encouraged students to talk with someone.
Osburn reminded the audience that everyone deals with grief differently, and there are different methods of starting the healing and recovery process.
“Should you scream at the top of your lungs, play a song that makes you cry, hug your pillow or a friend, either way, or maybe just go to class or go to the dining hall just like you would any other day, one of the greatest examples of honor is to continue on with hopes and dreams. Olivia had many. Honor your friend and your classmate, celebrate her life and cherish her memories,” Osburn said. “Take a moment to sit with one another and ask, ‘how are you doing, how can I help or have you talked with someone.’”
The Afrikan American Student Advisory Council, NC State Counseling Center, University Housing, the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, Multicultural Student Affairs, the Minority Engineering Programs Office and Women In Science and Engineering all assisted with the vigil.
Ian Grice contributed to the reporting of this story.
K'Ehleyr Merita, a friend of Olivia and a former student of NC State shared her fond memories of Olivia Spurlock at the candellight vigil held in Harris field on Monday evening. Olivia was a sophomore in mechanical engineering and one of the RA's of Sullivan.
