As many of you have heard, last week our campus lost someone very, very special. Isaiah Saucillo was “the needle that threaded our campus together”. He participated in PAWPRINT, the rugby team, the cheerleading team, and worked on campus. I didn’t know Isaiah too well. I mean, he was my partner (we were both on the cheer team) at camp this summer and for the beginning of the school year, and I always saw him. Every. Single. Day. I would see him at practice, around campus (usually saying hi to strangers, or holding a door open for someone), or I would see him on the rugby field playing his heart out.

At camp this summer, Isaiah was my partner. I have been cheering my whole life basically, and this was his very first day of cheerleading. EVER. The camp was 8 hours and he dropped me a lot. He kept getting so discouraged, feeling like he was constantly letting me down. Don’t get me wrong, I was frustrated. I just wanted to do cool things and instead I was struggling doing intermediate skills (how selfish of me). But what kept me going was his “keep going” attitude. He didn’t want to stop until he achieved the skill we were trying to achieve. At the end of the camp we finally did, and the smile on his face was priceless.

Isaiah came up to me after that camp and said, “Kristi, I know I let you down today, but I’m going to push to get better. I’ll be better next time.” From that moment on I realized Isaiah was not only a hard worker. He was special.

A few weeks into the semester, I got switched to a different partner. After this, I hardly spoke to Isaiah anymore. He was progressing each practice though. Along with progressing, he was starting to recognize his role on the team (something very imperative for a team to succeed). His role was to make others laugh even when they didn’t want to. He was great at it. Anytime I would start to get frustrated, I would look over at him and see him dancing, or wearing a towel on his head (don’t ask why he did it, I guess he had a towel fetish).

Although it sounds like I knew Isaiah pretty well, I truly didn’t. I didn’t know Isaiah at all.

Isaiah was only 19 (same age as most of us) when he decided to take his own life. I’m not saying I could have stopped him. But what I am saying, is that I COULD have gotten to know him. I could have possibly gotten close to him. I could have made an impact on him.

My challenge to you all is to get to know people. And I mean truly get to know them. Ask others how they’re REALLY doing. You never know when someone will be taken from this world, and  I promise you that you don't want to spend the rest of you life thinking  "I could have".

Care about others deeply. Live your life in such a way that shows others how special they are.

That’s how Isaiah lived.