Lauren McCain

Lauren Ashley McCain wrote on her MySpace profile: “The purpose and love of my life is Jesus Christ.”

A powerful statement indeed, but one that becomes more poignant when written by a 20-year-old who was one of the victims killed during her

German class in Norris Hall on April 16.

McCain, a freshman international studies major born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, lived her life for

Jesus from her first day at Virginia Tech.

“When my group first met, I would always go around the circle and have each of my freshmen answer a few questions, one of which was ‘If you could pick one thing about yourself that you would want everyone in the group to know, what would it be?’”, wrote Elizabeth Sullivan, a junior interior design major and McCain’s summer orientation leader, in an e-mail.

“While most of my group would answer with simple things like ‘I have a dog,’ or ‘My favorite color is blue,’ I’ll never forget Lauren’s answer — without hesitation, she said that she loved Jesus. That was the most important thing about her and she wanted everyone to know,” she said.

In addition to her faith, McCain had a passion for international students. An active member of

Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru), she also worked closely with Bridges International, which provides international students with a Christian language partner.

“Lauren was a bright light in our family,” said McCain’s aunt Judy Magouirk, in an e-mail to The Roanoke Times. “She participated in five different international Bible study groups. She leaves behind a loving family who will miss her dearly.”

In her memory, her parents, Sherry and David McCain, plan to create a scholarship fund for an incoming international student to Virginia Tech.

McCain also had a heart for adventure and loved new challenges, as well as helping others.

“One of my favorite memories of her was when Cru went on its annual Fall Retreat to Rockbridge last October,” said freshman biology major Sarah Olmstead, a member of McCain’s bible study. “There is a ropes course that’s pretty high up in the trees, and I am deathly afraid of heights. Lauren offers to go first to show me how simple it is, so I let her. She breezes through it in two minutes flat, and as I take the next half an hour to cross the ropes inch by inch, she is standing underneath me encouraging me to keep going, laughing between encouraging words, but nonetheless kept telling me that I could do it.”