Over 100 students, faculty, alumni and friends gathered Thursday evening to honor UC Berkeley graduate student Larkin Brogan after her sudden death on Monday.
Known for her energetic personality, her talent and her habit of calling everyone “dude,” the 25-year-old was in her second year pursuing a master’s degree at the College of Environmental Design. Classmates, who planned Thursday’s gathering, pinned up personal stories, drawings and photos of Brogan on a wall in Wurster Gallery.
“I will miss your silliness, sincerity, hugs, beautiful eyes, music taste, jokes, (and) late night nonsense in the studio,” read a note pinned on the wall by classmate Gwen Fuertes.
According to Tom Buresh, professor and chair of the architecture department, Brogan was part of a tight-knit cohort of 30 students within the college and “was loved deeply and will be greatly missed.”
“She was an amazing young woman,” Buresh said.
Another classmate, Katie Floersheimer, said Brogan always knew what to do or say. Floersheimer added that she will remember Brogan’s trademark “Larkin moments.”
Brogan’s parents — Kevin and Nena Brogan, who also graduated from UC Berkeley — and siblings attended the gathering. Members of Kevin Brogan’s fraternity, campus community members and faculty from various campus departments came to remember the student.
Brogan enrolled in UC Berkeley after graduating from Princeton University in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in architecture. Kevin Brogan said that after graduating from Princeton, his daughter worked at an architecture firm that helped with the construction of Memorial Stadium. Brogan also spent part of the last two summers in Hawaii working for a construction firm.
“She loved the studio,” said her father. “(Especially) hijinks in the studio.”
Kevin Brogan said art was an outlet for his daughter. She is in a better place now, where she could be happy, he said.
After work over the summer, Brogan spent her time surfing and running, according to her father.
“She was just such a wonderful classmate and an amazing friend,” said classmate Sarah Ramsey.
