Deidre Gallagher remembers Rochelle Gagliano as being a free spirit, someone who was full of life.
“We would often get crackers from the (Orleans Room) and feed the squirrels around here. Or go to the park and feed ducks,” Gallagher, a mass communication sophomore, said. “You can have so much fun doing the most simplest things with her.”
Gagliano, from Hammond, La., died March 25 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Although she was not attending Loyola this semester, she had studied classics since she started in 2008. She planned on becoming a teacher and was working this semester to return to school, said her father, Nick Gagliano.
“She loved Loyola and she loved New Orleans,” he said. “She fit in perfectly. She found her niche.”
Karen Rosenbecker, visiting assistant professor of classical studies, said she was a committed student who wasn’t afraid of being wrong.
“She just lit up when you would get her talking. It was the kind of light that was contagious,” Rosenbecker said.
Rosenbecker added that Gagliano took her Accelerated Beginning Greek class, which met four days a week and 75 minutes each day.
“She just was totally committed to doing whatever was necessary. She was never worried about looking stupid,” she said. “Rochelle just went and she did.”
Rachel Campo, a freshman at the University of New Orleans, had been friends with Gagliano since they both lived in Hammond.
“She was accepting of all people. She was the kind of person who made sure no kid in our high school ate lunch alone. She would make sure anyone who was by themselves felt accepted even if it was only by her,” she said.
According to Campo, Gagliano saw the beauty in old things. She loved animals and nature, she said.
“One time back in Hammond, she saw a turtle in the road and made me pull over so she could put it back in the grass,” Campo said.
Shima Massiha, psychology senior, lived with Gagliano and met her when she first moved in.
“She loved to collect things. She would go out on walks and find the weirdest things. She would pick flowers. We had flowers all over our house — she would put them everywhere. She found an encyclopedia set from the ‘60s that we now have in our sunroom. Little quirks like that really put you in a good mood,” Massiha said. “She inspired me to start living my life deliberately and to stop and enjoy things and not be so uptight. She was so carefree, spontaneous and free spirited. I think it inspired others to live by her example.”
Fernando Sanjenis Gutierrez, general studies sophomore, said she smiled more than anyone he knew.
“In her small frame, there was something inside of her that wanted to burst. She was larger than life,” she said. “She had an ephemeral life, living with much more intensity than most people could in a lifetime.”
Gallagher added one more thing about Gagliano.
“She never wore Loyola gear,” she said.
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Masako Hirsch can be reached at [email protected]
