The Brown community came together to honor Ella Cook ’28 and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov ’29 at an official University memorial service this weekend. On Saturday, Sayles Hall was transformed into a space for grief and reflection filled with music, prayer, flowers and candlelight.
Students, faculty and community members gathered to watch the service, which was broadcast from the hall to locations across campus and online for alums and community members to watch virtually.
Brady Ahn ’29 described feeling a mix of anxiety, sadness and gratitude as he walked into Sayles Hall for the memorial service. “There was definitely anxiety walking into a space shaped by grief, but more than anything, I felt a deep sadness and heaviness,” he wrote in a message to The Herald.
Still, Ahn felt “grateful to be surrounded by others who were feeling the same loss,” and that “being there made the tragedy feel more real, but also less isolating,” he wrote.
At the service, students, faculty and administrators shared reflections on Cook and Umurzokov’s lives, and on the impact that the Dec. 13 shooting had on Brown’s community.
Elina Coutlakis-Hixson ’28, a close friend of Cook’s, spoke on the impact her friend made on her life in a speech at the memorial. Coutlakis-Hixson said that Cook inspired her to be humble, kind and to passionately follow her faith.
Cook “would walk with you, in step, in the face of any challenge or hurdle, without a single air of competition, jealousy or malice,” Coutlakis-Hixson said.
“She seldom participated in any sort of public speaking or self-promotion, but her personality was inherently distinctive,” Coutlakis-Hixson recalled.
“Ella would wear bright pink sweaters and big gold hoop earrings and floor-length green coats to class on gloomy days,” she added.
Coutlakis-Hixson closed her remarks with an excerpt from the Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, a Bible passage that Cook’s “parents have told me is meaningful to (Ella),” she said.
Professor of Classics and History Graham Oliver, Cook’s faculty advisor, talked about Cook’s dedication to learn from others and her hope to become a changemaker in politics.
Vanessa Finder ’29, a dorm neighbor and friend of Umurzokov, shared how he inspired her to live her life more freely. “He taught me that it is okay to live on my own terms, even if it’s not what others want. He taught me that part of the meaning of life is finding happiness in the midst of chaos,” Finder said in her speech.
When Finder was struggling to adjust to college, Umurzokov was there. “With Mukhammad around, I knew that I always had someone to trust nearby,” she said. He “helped me become comfortable and feel safe in this unfamiliar environment. He helped me fall in love with Brown.”
Over just a semester, Finder and Umurzokov grew very close. “We would spend time together every night studying, especially for CHEM 0330 and our favorite, NEUR 0010, until at least 3 a.m.,” she said.
After Umurzokov’s death, Finder reflected on how he taught her that “it is okay to laugh during painful moments.”
One of Umurzokov’s professors, James Kellner, a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and environment and society, shared how he was struck by Umurzokov’s passion to help others and his curiosity.
Vice President of Campus Life Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD’98 gave the service’s opening remarks. She acknowledged the community of Brunonians watching the service from satellite locations. “Please know that though we may be separated by distance, we are united in grief and in love for this community,” she said.
Father Justin Bolger, associate chaplain of the University for the Catholic Community, and Imam Amir Toft, associate chaplain of the University for the Muslim community, led prayers in the faith traditions of Cook and Umurzokov.
President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 said that she has “begun to come to know” Cook and Umurzokov from those who knew them, as well as from reading their Brown applications.
Cook was a listener who sought out perspectives that varied from her own, she said, adding that Cook came to Brown knowing she would be in the minority as a devout Christian and a conservative. “She came here because she knew that it would help her grow,” Paxson added.
In his application, Umurzokov wrote about how his drive to pursue a career as a neurosurgeon stemmed from his experiences with medical care. “Mukhammad was driven by a profound sense of purpose,” Paxson said.
The Brown University Chorus, violinist Philip Yao ’28, pianist Sophia Stone P’27, Protestant community musical director and worship leader, and organist Graham Schultz, an adjunct lecturer in music, provided music for the service. As the memorial concluded, the lights in Sayles Hall dimmed, and attendees were encouraged to light their candles. As people filed out, memorial staff passed out white flowers.
Justin Khan ’29 watched the livestream of the service in the Metcalf Research Building, one of the seven remote viewing locations set up across campus.
“I was initially worried that watching it through a livestream would feel isolated and disrespectful,” Khan wrote in a message to The Herald. “But seeing the community gather in one place really allowed me to grieve in a profound way.”
Despite not being in the main hall where the service was taking place, Khan felt that being surrounded by students watching the stream was special in its own way. “I joined many of my classmates, afterwards, at the Van Wickle Gates to place our flowers,” Khan wrote. The bell on University Hall, which typically rings to mark the transition between classes, rang at the end of the service. To Khan, this was a “lovely addition.”
Balázs Cserneczky ’28 first heard about the service from the email that University administrators sent to the campus community. “I really appreciate the very proactive initiative that they take,” Cserneczky said. “It’s kind of an impossible task that the University is trying to tackle.”
From Ahn’s perspective, “the University’s approach to healing has felt intentional and compassionate.” The memorial helped acknowledge “the pain” Brunonians are feeling and encouraged “community support,” he wrote.
Moments of silence and messages from community members “allowed people to feel what they needed to feel,” Ahn wrote. “It wasn’t about closure, but about presence, and that felt meaningful.”
Lucia Santiago is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
Miriam Davison is a Senior Staff Writer for University News covering Academics & Advising. She is a first-year from Los Angeles, CA and plans to study tentatively the realm of International & Public Affairs and English, though her interests span from linguistics to history to music. In her free time, she plays on one of Brown's ultimate frisbee teams and likes writing silly poems.
