Alpha Phi holds memorial to remember sorority sister

More than 300 students gathered on the front lawn of the Alpha Phi sorority Tuesday to say goodbye to Brynn Bergin.\nBergin, a 20-year-old IU student entering her sophomore year, was killed in a car accident Aug. 7. She was on her way home from visiting friends in Michigan when she lost control of her car and struck two trees. She died at the scene.\n"We wanted to have the ceremony on the one-month anniversary," said senior Karrie Stine, vice president of operations for Alpha Phi. "We're thrilled with the support we've received."\nAs the lawn filled Tuesday night, the assembled students stood in respectful silence and looked at the photos of Bergin that sorority members had posted the yard prior to the ceremony.\n"We come together to celebrate a life and remember a smile," junior and member of Alpha Phi Venetia Pristavec said.\nJunior Courtney Marvel, Bergin's "mom" in Alpha Phi, said Bergin was known as a fun, driven and caring person who dreamed of going to medical school. Marvel mentioned donations were being accepted to set up a scholarship in Bergin's name.\n"This way her dreams will be carried out through others," she said.\nBergin's best friend, sophomore Bethany Meadows, spoke with tears streaming down her face about their friendship.\n"No story can ever justify what kind of person she was," Meadows said. "She radiated so much beauty on the outside and inside. Her heart was made of gold."\nMeadows said Bergin put a little life into everyone she touched and that their friendship touched both her heart and her soul.\n"I know she will be holding my hand every step of the way," Meadows said. \nSophomore Amy Harshbarger was Bergin's roommate their freshman year and was in the same pledge class at Alpha Phi.\n"I want to see her again," Harshbarger said. "I want to tell her how much I love her. I'll never be the same without her."\nAs the crowd lit candles, members of Alpha Phi held hands and sang "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan. The song was followed by a moment of silence during which the only sound heard was the hum of traffic on Third Street.\n"There's not a minute of my life that goes by that I don't think about her," Harshbarger said. "I love her, and I'll miss her forever."\n-- Contact staff writer Kathleen Quilligan at kquillig@indiana.edu.