The Hope College family is mourning the death of junior Jennifer Kasunick of Bay Village, Ohio, who died on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, of injuries sustained when she was struck by a train.
Here is the announcement that President Matthew A. Scogin shared with students, faculty and staff later in the evening of Jan. 11, in advance of an all-campus prayer gathering held that night in Dimnent Memorial Chapel:
Dear campus community,
Earlier this evening, we lost one of our own students in an unimaginable accident. Jennifer Kasunick was struck by a train near 10th Street and did not survive.
Jennifer, a junior from Bay Village, Ohio, was a well-loved member of our community. I imagine almost every one of you receiving this email knew Jennifer. And to know her was to love her. Her joyful spirit was a constant source of warmth and light - especially in Phelps Hall, where she served as an RA alongside her service dog Rowdy, who survived.
I know that hearing this news will raise many questions, some practical in nature and some spiritual in nature. I, too, have questions, and I don’t have answers. I don’t know why God would allow this to happen. What I do know is that Jennifer is with God now, and she understands what we cannot.
Tonight, we will be hosting an all-campus gathering in Dimnent Chapel at 10 pm [on Jan. 11] led by Campus Ministries to begin the process of grieving. Staff from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Student Development will be at the prayer gathering in person for support. Please join us as we grieve together as a community.
We ask for your prayers and support for Jennifer’s family and friends. Such news deeply affects all of us. Our mourning process will be messy, difficult, and long. But we will do it together. And we grieve with hope. (1 Thes 4:13)
Spera in Deo,
Matt
President Matthew A. Scogin