Faith Fufang Dremmer, a senior at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, died March 24 from injuries she suffered in a cycling accident in southern Illinois. She was 17.
Dremmer, a member of the Lab community since second grade, was active in her school's math and science clubs, played on the tennis and soccer teams, and served as a Peer Leader for younger students on community service issues.
"She was a beacon of goodness, graciousness and determination," said Laboratory School College Counselor Patty Rust Kovacs. "Everything came from the purest intent. There was absolutely no artifice."
Dremmer, who lived with her mother in Chicago, was planning to pursue math and science in college, Kovacs said. She was still weighing which school she would attend at the time of her death.
"This is a heartbreaking loss for the families, and for the entire Lab community," said David W. Magill, Director of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. "We are all grieving right now, and this loss will be felt for some time to come."
Service to others was a central part of Dremmer's life, Kovacs said. Since sixth grade she had regularly donated clippings of her hair to the medical charity Locks of Love. An avid athlete, she loved summer camp, laughing with her friends, fun "chick lit" novels such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and musical genres ranging from hip-hop to country.
"Faith brought sunshine into my day and all of her teachers' days, every day of her life," Kovacs said. "She was full of promise and potential."
