Agnes Kim’s Facebook page is full of happiness — dogs and doughnuts, posts about charity events and well-wishes for friends.
The 21-year-old University of Georgia student is “a light,” a friend said Thursday, a godly young woman set to graduate next month with a degree in marketing.
If she pulls through.
“Everyone on campus loves her,” Brittany Torres said Thursday at an impromptu vigil outside UGA’s Tate Center. “Nobody is such a light. … I just pray for her safe recovery.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Kim, a Snellville native, remained in critical care at Athens Regional Medical Center. Authorities believe she was driving a white Toyota Camry Wednesday night when it crossed over the center line of Ga. 15 near Watkinsville, colliding with another vehicle.
Kim survived, but the four schoolmates with her — Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton; and Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody — were killed.
What led to the crash remains unclear. The Georgia State Patrol has stressed, however, that alcohol is not believed to be a factor.
As news of the crash spread Wednesday night and into Thursday, some 200 people gathered at the local Young Life center, the headquarters of a Christian ministry group where Kim began volunteering as a freshman. About 20 people stayed overnight, sleeping on a rug.
Young Life’s Jana Harwell called Kim “a fantastic person.”
“She loves the Lord,” Harwell said, “and she loves people.”
Dozens more people were at the hospital Thursday, including Kim's parents and Lee Mason, the pastor of Athens' Classic City Church.
The pastor called Kim a “clean kid” who ministers to children and doesn’t drink. He said her family seemed “shell-shocked” but optimistic about her recovery. She was in a coma with a head injury, he said.
“We lay hands on her and prayed for her,” Lisa Mason, the pastor’s wife, said.
In January, Kim posted a video on YouTube, a (presumably mandatory) missive about a three-week study abroad trip to Australia. For two minutes and 28 seconds, her voice narrates as a series of photos cycles past.
She jokes about having expected to kick back and relax — then talks about what she learned.
“That’s the beautiful thing about life,” she says. “We can do all the storytelling and reenacting we want, but when it comes down to it, every moment is precious and unique in its own way.”
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