Arati Sharangpani's last term at the University and her hopes for a job at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, where she interviewed before her return flight, ended in the fatal crash of Comair flight 3272 yesterday.
Sharangpani, an LSA senior from Holland, Mich., was a resident adviser in the Butler House of Mary Markley Residence Hall. The sign on her door wishes residents "Welcome back for one last semester."
Students huddled together across campus last night to share warm thoughts after the chilling news that they had lost a friend.
"She was the kindest person you could ever meet," said Swapneel Ekbote, a friend of Sharangpani and a 1996 University graduate.
Sharangpani had never been so happy and full of anticipation as she was before her recruiting trip to Cincinnati, said a friend who drove her to the airport two days ago.
When she called the same friend yesterday, Sharangpani knew she had gotten the job, her friend said.
"She called me from the (Cincinnati) airport," the friend said. "She said something about that she might not come back (tonight) because the weather was bad."
Sharangpani's energy and dynamic personality were contagious, she said.
"She really taught me how to be a good friend."
Friends stressed that Sharangpani's kindness and openness weren't limited to a small group of confidantes. She reached out into the community - and she touched people's lives.
"She did a lot of community service stuff. She helped organize a benefit concert for some of the people who worked in Markley and passed away last year," said Amy Smith, a Law second-year student and resident director at Markley.
"She has that, like ... that ... everyone liked her," said Ekbote, who met Sharangpani three years ago when they both lived in Mosher-Jordan.
Although friends searched for the words to describe their friend, they remembered that "Artie" always knew what to say.
She could "speak well" with groups of friends and strangers, said Diganta Saha.
Saha's relationship with Sharangpani grew from just an acquaintance several years ago to a friend who occasionally accompanied him on sailing trips with the U-M Sailing Club.
"She was a friend of a friend, and then became a friend," he said.
"She always reached out to everyone," said Chad Bailey, an LSA senior and resident director at Markley.
Residents who lived near Sharangpani said she was always available and willing to help with the stresses of campus life.
"She was always available. She helped me with homework. I spent a lot of time in her room I guess. She was a great person. ... She was a very vibrant person," said Engineering first-year student Stacey Waxtan, a resident on Sharangpani's hall in Markley.
Sharangpani was well known in the Indian American community as a former vice president of the Indian American Student Association and a Diwali dancer and choreographer.
"She was a dancer in the Diwali Show; she helped to choreograph some of the dances," Bailey said.
Students began last night to gather in remembrance of Sharangpani, and memorials are expected to be held by family and friends in her memory. Counselors will be available at Markley beginning at 8 a.m. today for students and staff.
