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Today's most e-mailed
Prior days' news: By date | Search This week's print issue Back issues: By date | Search April 17, 2007Nicole WhiteYou could spot Nicole White, 20, instantly in a lecture hall of 400 students, says her friend, Jamie Kate Diamond. Just look for the brilliant red hair. Ms. White, a junior from Smithfield, Va., already had plenty of friends at Virginia Tech when Ms. Diamond first met her in an animal-science class several years ago. Ms. Diamond, a shy freshman from Boston, had none. But Ms. White “introduced me to her many friends and showed me the ropes,” says Ms. Diamond. By chance, the two had all of their first-year classes together, and Ms. Diamond found herself scanning the seats for Ms. White in every classroom.  Facebook.com Ms. White, an international-studies major, was kind to everybody, and self-assured enough to be both “a mother figure” and “a goof,” Ms. Diamond says. Jessica Fansler, a close friend at Virginia Tech, said in a Facebook message that Ms. White “was the strongest person I ever met.” “She took me in and basically mothered me, fed me, and took care of me when I had nowhere else to go,” said Ms. Fansler. “She is my best friend, and will always be.” Outside of class, Ms. White and Ms. Diamond bonded over a shared love of animals. “She would be like, ‘Oh, I’m adopting a kitten, and I’m getting this abused dog,’ and she loved horses, too,” Ms. Diamond says. “In our animal-science class, we had to deal with sheep and cows, and she’d put these big rubber boots on and get in the dirt. We’d be on the ground wrestling sheep, and she didn’t care.” Ms. Diamond transferred from Virginia Tech last year, and Ms. White was one of the few friends with whom she stayed in touch. Ms. White would call every week. “She wasn’t asking me how I was just to ask, either — she really wanted to know,” Ms. Diamond says. “She always called me and always was begging me to come and visit.” —Josh Keller Posted on Tuesday April 17, 2007 | Permalink | |