Students gather for Kyllo ’14 memorial

The mood in the University Chapel was somber on Sunday afternoon as over 100 students, friends and community members gathered to remember Khristin Kyllo ’14. Kyllo, from Vienna, Va., died of natural causes in her Forbes College dorm room on Jan. 13 after suffering a history of unexplained seizures. She was 18.

Among the mourners wearing purple, Kyllo’s favorite color, were her softball teammates and her Forbes hallmates, all of whom spoke to the lasting, strong and energetic impression Kyllo had made on them in her time on campus.

Kyllo’s teammates spoke of being impressed with her drive even in the face of her illness — how a seizure in the morning would not stop her from being at practice in the afternoon. They spoke of her energy, her passion and how much she loved playing softball.

“You never just got a piece of Khristin Kyllo, you got all of her, whether you were ready for it or not,” Nikki Chu ’13 said. “Khristin was ‘that’ recruit. The uncontrollable crazy one that you had to keep an eye on. We should have invested in a leash.”

Despite spending only four months at the University, Kyllo formed many close relationships on campus. Beyond her teammates, Kyllo was remembered by her 12 hallmates who called themselves her “Forbes family.” They shared stories of her enthusiasm, her loyalty and her propensity for attacking people from behind to hug them.

“Part of the reason that this is so painful for me is that I feel there is so much time that has been taken away. I’ve been robbed of all these experiences that I was supposed to have with her,” said Eliza Harkins ’14, who lived next door to Kyllo.

“We were supposed to have infinite petty arguments, earth-shattering knocks on my door, dinners at Forbes,” she added. “I was supposed to be her roommate with Caroline [Davidsen ’14] and Julia [Marsh ’14]. We were all supposed to get dressed up ridiculously to cheer her on at her softball games. We were supposed to graduate. We were supposed to catch up at reunions. I was supposed to go to her wedding.”

“With Khristin what you saw was what you got,” Cara McCollum ’14 said. “She had a particular knack for ‘that’s what she said’ jokes and a talent for running over people on her bike.”

“Without her in our hall, we’ve become a little bit quieter and a lot less intimidating,” Eskender McCoy ’14 said. “Khristin was one of the most incredible, most ridiculous and most unforgettable people I have ever met.”

Those who knew Kyllo said that they would carry the lessons they learned from her with them.

“Sometimes I’m not sure what’s worse: the pain of a loss or the fear that those memories will fade,” Trina Salcido, head coach of the softball team, said. “We all have those memories, we all feel that loss and we all loved that special girl.”

Kyllo was the “prototype of a Princetonian, a curious scholar and a team player in all aspects of her life,” said Nick Turk-Browne, assistant professor of psychology and Kyllo’s academic adviser. “As we remember what Khristin made us think, how she made us feel, what she taught us about a new hip-hop artist or unbridled possibility, Khristin lives in our hearts and in our memories.”

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“She found what she loved and the people she loved, and she went after them with her whole heart. Her attitude was uncompromising: do or die,” Harkins said. “No one loved like Khristin. It was a tough love most of the time, but it was more passionate that anyone I have ever known, and it’s love that we have a duty to pass on.”

“Although our opponents will see 13 players on the team, we will never forget about our 14th angel in the outfield,” teammate Nicole Ontiveros ’12 said. “We will never forget you, Khristin. You will always be in our hearts, in our bats and in our minds.”

The service, led by Rev. Alison Boden, Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel, featured performances by the Princeton University Gospel Ensemble. It was followed by a reception in Murray-Dodge Hall.

A memorial fund has been established in Kyllo’s name through the University Board of Trustees. James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., will also be establishing a scholarship fund in Kyllo’s name.

Kyllo is survived by her parents Tom and Julie Kyllo and her brother Tommy.