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It is impossible to put in to words what Ashton meant to so many people. Daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, you name it; but to everyone, she was the first to hug you in the presence of tears and the last to leave you after a bad day. She was the secret-keeper of embarrassing moments and the match-maker for unspoken crushes. It was her loyalty, her giving nature, and the way she loved with all of her heart that made people want to be around her. It was her generosity that made her an incredible friend, her brilliance that made her an excellent student, and her talent of which she was so humble that made her an amazing artist. In fact, Ashton was a lot like the pieces that she created- both entrancing, one-of-a-kind, and inspiring to so many people.

Ashton found beauty in things that most people overlooked, both in person and the photographs she loved to take. She also had the ability to make things beautiful. Not only clothes, though anyone who knew her knows that she was capable of making a brown sack look amazing, but she brought the best out in people around her. She made each and every one of us more honest, more open, and more willing to take a chance.

Ashton was always full of surprises. Who would have guessed that someone so graceful and sophisticated would make such a great Cindy Lou Who? Or would have had the guts to get a tattoo before any of us? Or would have tied her little sister to a coffee table? Though I guess that shouldn’t have been surprising since Ashton did always love to have fun- she was always up for doing something outlandish (like calling each other’s parents over spring break and telling them we’d been arrested)...unless it was a really bad idea, in which case she was the voice of reason that kept us out of jail (so thanks for that, Smash).

Ashton was not afraid to tell people what she thought. So, naturally, she was great at giving advice, but it made her a little scary to go shopping with. She was also unafraid of being herself- in fact, Ashton knew exactly who she was and she never pretended to be somebody she wasn’t. In true Ashton form, she was herself right up until the end, protecting those around her from knowing the true extent of her pain.

Ashton was the strongest person I have ever met. She was so courageous and incredibly brave during the 21 years of her life during which time she went through more than most people endure in their whole lives. She handled her situation with such grace and dignity. However, Ashton did not want to be remembered as ‘the girl with cancer’. So please, remember her for the bravery with which she faced her battle rather than the battle itself. Remember her as the girl who who dreamed of living in Paris, who loved Harry Potter and Marilyn Monroe, and who knew every Dave Matthews song in existence. Remember her as the girl who could go through a whole bag of blow pops in a day, who was always up for a game of Apples-to-Apples, and who cheered the Tar Heels on with a drink in hand for four years. Remember the girl who never missed an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, who could spend a whole afternoon in Barnes & Noble, and who insisted on scraping all of the salt off of chips before she ate them.

It seems unfair that we are being deprived of a person who undoubtedly would have changed the world, but the way I see it, we are so lucky to have had her, to have known her, and to have loved her for as long as we did. I am, as all of you are, so grateful for all of the memories that I can think of when I am missing her, the memories that put a smile on my face. I would say she will be missed but she already is, for her quick wit, her gorgeous smile, and her never-ending determination. As it must, time will go on, days will pass and we will all carry on because it is what she would have wanted. It will not be the same without her but, as Ashton would say, ‘every little thing is gonna be alright.’