Friends, family share memories of LSA students

Under a clear evening sky, about 150 friends and family of Sarah Metzger and Celia Zwerdling walked through the Diag in a procession to celebrate the lives of the two LSA first-year students. The silence of the procession was occasionally broken by a whispered memory between friends.

"Celia was the coxswain for the crew team. Since she died we have not been at rest. It's hard to describe how it touched the team," LSA first-year student Decker Ringo said.

Participants in the vigil stopped often along the way to the Michigan League ballroom to re-light the candles they carried, which were extinguished by the blowing wind.

DHANI JONES/Daily Mourners walk from the Diag to the Michigan League last night in a candlelight vigil honoring LSA first-year students Celia Zwerdling and Sarah Metzger.

"Tonight is important for those of us who are still facing it everyday," LSA first-year student Sarah Johnson said.

"It's not easy for those of us still facing it to let the world go back to normal. I don't think, because of the shock, that the service was as healing as tonight might be," Johnson said.

Johnson is also a coxswain of the crew team.

The two students were killed in a car accident near Traverse City Jan. 18 while returning home from a ski trip at Crystal Mountain.

They were passengers in a Jeep driven by LSA first-year Kelson Smith, who hit an icy stretch of road in adverse winter weather. Smith lost control of the car before colliding with an oncoming vehicle.

"The candlelight vigil is more accepted than just talking to friends. It gets a lot of people out here," Smith said.

Friends and family passed under the towering flag, waving at half-mast, and filed past two hugging female students into the ballroom. There they shared writings and memories of the two girls.

The presentation began with friends reading the image-filled poetry written by Zwerdling. The poems depicted winter scenes, herself as a young child and failed attempts to hold on to time.

Zwerdling's roommate, LSA first-year student Alyssa Rosen tearfully sang "In My Life" by the Beatles in honor of Metzger and Zwerdling.

"Both of them pushed me to sing, especially Sarah. I wish I had sang more for them," Rosen said.

A short self-evaluation that Metzger wrote on Jan. 8, not long before the Jan. 18 accident, was read by her mother. The self-evaluation described Metzger's love of the theater, particularly in the arena of directing.

Metzger's mother correlated Sarah's love of the theater to their relationship.

"Sara has always directed my life. She continues to live inside me and give me strength," she said.

She also said she appreciated the University community's support. "I want to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of love you've shown all of us."

Other speakers at the vigil included a Hillel official and an advisor of the Honors Program, of which Metzger and Zwerdling were both members.

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