I have to say that my favorite memory that I share with Alex is when we went to the National Leadership Conference through SkillsUSA last year. She was my roommate in the hotel, and this was when I really began to get to know her better. We were friends in elementary school, but grew apart once we were placed into new classes, so I was excited to be her roommate to reconnect with her. We shared a couple of classes in our sophomore year where we talked, and we had mutual friends, but I hoped that we would have the opportunity to talk even more.

We sat together at the opening ceremony with our friend Zachary Rivernider, and let me tell you that nothing brings people closer together than having to sit through the egregiously long, cult-like opening that is the opening ceremony for SkillsUSA. Our coping mechanism was to make sarcastic, witty remarks the entire time, and that was when I truly began to notice her light-hearted sarcasm and quirky sense of humor. She laughed at all of Zach and I’s frankly unfunny jokes, but I suppose anything is funny when comparing it to the painstaking opening ceremonies.

The next few days consisted of us having some of the best times of our lives. Our competitions were on different schedules and she was on a different van than I was so I didn’t get to see much of her during the day, but when it was the night time we got to hang out again. One of the night-time endeavors included playing pitch in the hallway until way past curfew with Mr. Morin -- an HVAC teacher - -Mr. Connors, and a bunch of other students from BVT. Well, it was more like myself and a majority of the people watched while Alex, Mr. Morin, Mr. Connors, and a couple of other students played. Mr. Morin and Mr. Connors were so loud and were making everyone laugh so much that someone actually called security on us, and we got a bit of a scolding for that. Nobody really cared that we could have been waking up people trying to sleep though because we were truly having so much fun; I had never seen Alex laugh as much as she did when she was playing pitch.

Other nights we would hang out in Zach and our other friend Connor Andrews’ room until ungodly hours of the morning. She tried to teach us how to play a game called “Exploding Kittens,” but we somehow would always end up getting off topic and start talking about things that weren’t related to a game about cats combusting. We were all okay with that, however, and it was during these times where I got to get to know her even more. She was kind and considerate, always letting others talk first before speaking. She had a quiet yet powerful air around her, but once you began talking to her, her quirks and sense of humor really shined. She was always unapologetically herself, unafraid to demonstrate her love for heavy metal and cats, and I had always admired that about her, even from afar before we started talking again.

Unfortunately our time in Kentucky was coming to a end, and it was time for closing ceremonies and awards. Alex, Zach, and I all sat together and tried to calm each other down but also excite each other as we waited for our competitions to be called. We couldn’t stop bouncing up and down in our seats and freaking out to each other! Zach’s competition was the first to be mentioned out of the three of ours, and when they announced that he had won the gold medal, we were all screaming and hugging, and even crying a bit. Mine was called next, and we repeated the process of screaming, hugging, and crying when I placed third. I had never experienced such a pure and overwhelming sense of elation before -- I really can’t describe it in words -- and I am forever grateful that I had the privilege of experiencing it with Alex. While I was away to have my picture taken, they called Alex’s competition. When I came back and saw that she didn’t have a medal, I honestly thought that they simply hadn’t called her competition because there was no possibility in my mind that she wouldn’t win. Her intelligence and motivation have always amazed me, but what amazed me even more was her modesty and humility about it. She was at the top of the class and had accomplished so many things, yet I never heard her brag about it once. Even though she was disappointed with her loss, she still celebrated Zach and I’s victories with such poise that was way beyond her years, and she accepted her loss in such a mature manner.

With the conclusion of the awards ceremony brought the conclusion of our trip to Kentucky. I will never forget the memories I made with Alex there, and the true happiness that we both felt that I know I hadn’t in a long time. I am indebted to your daughter for blessing me with her presence and allowing me to become friends with her. Her intelligence, kindness, and humility are traits that I aspire to possess to the extent that she did. These traits even manifested themselves when we were kids playing jump rope and four square, or when we would simply just talk to one another. It is truly the highest compliment I could ever give to someone that they remind me of your daughter. Her impact on myself and the community will live on in all of us, as many of us will aspire to give back to the community like she did through her many philanthropic efforts, her involvement with our school, and her kindness towards others. Alex will live with those she impacted for the remainder of their lives, and they will pass her influence onto those who they impact for generations, enabling your daughter to have an immortalizing legacy. Her incredible, beautiful, spirit will be missed so dearly by everyone she touched.

~Gabi DeCosta

P.S. I didn’t take any pictures with Alex at Skills, so instead I decided to include this photo of her that was taken when we were over at Emily Salonich’s house, getting ready for our sophomore year homecoming. I don’t think she knew that the camera was rolling, so I believe that this photo truly, candidly, captures her radiant spirit that positively affected everyone she knew.