Thursday, July 10
An incoming freshman died in his hometown of Moorestown, N.J., on Tuesday when an elderly woman hit his bike with her car – just four days before his 18th birthday.
Will Christianson, 17, had been on campus only a week earlier for the fourth session of Colonial Inauguration. Those close to him said he was anxious to attend GW, and recalled his passions for family, friends, creative writing, The New York Times and Sen. Barack Obama.
“For a while I was a big time Hillary Clinton supporter, and Will bought me Barack Obama’s book for my birthday,” said Ben Farber, one of Christianson’s friends and classmates at Moorestown High School. “It’s a shame he will not be able to vote for him, but we will help pick up the slack.”
Family and friends said they remember Christianson for his advice and views on everything from politics to pop culture. He shared his opinions about Philadelphia restaurants and music through his contributions to the blog Uwishunu Philly.
The blog hired him from his writing samples and was surprised learn he was still in high school, said Alan Christianson, his father. He added that the incoming freshman scored a perfect score on both the verbal and writing sections of the SAT.
Christianson had not picked his major yet because he wanted to keep an open mind, but was considering journalism because of his writing abilities, family and friends said. He already registered for classes before attending CI and arrived a day early to familiarize himself with the city.
“Will would have been one of your stars,” his father said. “When he was seven years old, he used to sit by the door waiting to go to school because he loved it so much.”
Farber said Christianson was so excited about going to GW that he left the Moorestown High School Facebook network to join the GWU network before any of his friends.
The dirty blond-haired teen was voted “Best Hair” in his high school yearbook, though friends said in interviews that he really wanted “Best Dressed.”
“You always knew he was in the classroom,” said Jen Rini, a friend and classmate. “He religiously read The New York Times and always mentioned a new article in English class every day.”
There was a formal service for Christianson on Thursday and there will be a meeting for worship on Friday for family and friends to remember him. The news of his death stunned the small New Jersey town, as he is the third student in his graduating class to be killed since December.
“To say that Will’s death is tragic would be an understatement,” Dean of Freshmen Fred Siegel said in an e-mail. “I can only hope that every member of the Class of 2012 will remember him and will resolve to look out for each other, when returning in August.”
