The University community lost two students – senior John Bramlett and sophomore Alicia Anderson – in unrelated incidents June 14.

Friends remember the students as caring and compassionate.

For many who knew him, John Bramlett was no ordinary student. At 29 years old, he was a non-traditional student in more ways than one.

In his event management class, Bramlett was required to conduct an event for a non-profit organization.

“I remember he brought a deaf magician to campus – to Memorial Hall — to raise money to send a child to camp,” said Corey Johnson, assistant professor in the department of counseling and human development services.

Johnson said he remembers Bramlett as “an excellent student and a strong advocate for the deaf community.”

And his advocacy did not stop there.

Bramlett worked as an interpreter at the Disabilities Resource Center on campus. He was fluent in American Sign Language and translated lectures for deaf students.

Whether he was acting as an interpreter for students or volunteering with a deaf Boy Scout troop, he was making an impact on the people around him.

“I think it was a shock to everybody,” said Margaret Totty, assistant director of the Disabilities Resource Center.

Bramlett, who had worked at the center for a year, was well-liked and always happy, she said.

He was also co-director of Camp Juliena, a week-long summer camp for youths and teens who are deaf or hard of hearing. He worked at the camp since 2000 and was named co-director in 2003.

“I just know that he was a very nice guy, and everyone was very upset over it,” said Carol Faiss, information referral specialist at the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired, the organization which runs CampJuliena. Faiss said the office was very quiet Wednesday – everyone was at Bramlett’s funeral service in Lawrenceville.

“I think he just saw a need to help disadvantaged youth,” Johnson said. “That they were special, but didn’t always feel special.”

And Bramlett is not the only University student who will be missed.

Sophomore Alicia Anderson also passed away June 14. Anderson was riding with her boyfriend and his mother when the Jeep they were driving in crossed the median and collided with oncoming traffic. The accident occurred around 1 p.m. on Talahi Island in Savannah.

“She was the nicest person that you’ll ever meet, she was always looking to serve other people,” said sophomore Lisa DePalma of Cumming.

DePalma, who met Anderson as a freshman in Brumby Hall, said she remembered Anderson’s kindness. One time while in the dorms, DePalma and her roommate returned to Brumby to find candy and a freshly-vacuumed dorm – courtesy of Anderson.

“Everything she did was so nice and she would always have a smile on her face,” DePalma said.

And it was Anderson’s smiling face that greeted senior Joette Jones.

“She was the first person to meet me when I moved in,” Jones, an Augusta native, said. “She was a very sweet girl, it’s totally devastating.”

For students having a difficult time coping with the losses, the CAPS Center is available to offer confidential counseling and outreach services.

“I think folks have a lot of different reactions immediately following a death,” said Chuck Zanone, associate director of consultation and outreach.

There is no charge for an initial consultation, and the cost of subsequent visits is reduced through the student health fee.

“I think for a lot of people, knowing there is a resource to go to – and utilizing that resource – is important,” Zanone said. “We let students know this is a part of taking care of yourself.”