Celebrating the life, friendship, graciousness of UCLA alumna

  Marissa Witham

By Josh Wolf
Daily Bruin Contributor

The overdue thank you note is the most difficult to write, but
always seems to carry the most weight. UCLA alumna Marissa Witham
always let people know that they were appreciated, and after her
death in a plane crash March 29, she deserves the same
treatment.

“You make friends in these (Sorority) houses, and you
never really stop to think you need to let people know how special
they are, but Marissa always let you know how special you
were,” said friend, sorority sister, and former roommate
Vanessa Aramayo.

Witham was known for her frequent use of cards. Returning every
borrowed item with a thank you card, Marissa was quick to let her
friends know that she loved them.

“She took every opportunity to thank you and to let you
know that you were appreciated. I’ll never forget the flowers
and notes she left me that said, “˜Here’s a little
something to brighten your day,'” Aramayo said.

Witham graduated from UCLA a year ago with a major in
communications and a business and administration specialization.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a member of the National
Golden Key Honor Society, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and the UCLA
Honors Program.

She went to every home football game, basketball game and
volleyball game, and participated in intramural soccer. She sang in
the UCLA Chorale, helped start a UCLA TV news program, and was a
member of Chi Omega Sorority ““ but her influence wasn’t
limited to on campus activities.

Witham volunteered her time to help children with special needs
and underprivileged students. She participated in the Boys and
Girls Club, and a program called Best Buddies where she befriended
an autistic child. As part of another project, she worked
one-on-one with a high school student who was having difficulty,
doing everything from helping him with homework to playing
basketball to help him succeed.

“She could be dead tired and she would continue to work on
a project for someone and it didn’t matter to her because she
was doing something for other people,” said her mother
Laurece Witham.

Her friends and family say Witham always wanted the best for the
people around her.

Despite her busy schedule, she was deeply involved in the lives
of the people around her.

“She did so great in school and at the same time took on
so many things, but she always had time for friends,” said
close friend and sorority sister Robyn Faden.

Witham’s friends recall her surprising interest in
everything they did.

“She was so attentive and so curious. She was the type of
person who wanted to know everything about you,”Aramayo
said.

But it wasn’t just her friends who received this special
treatment.

“She had a genuine way of making people feel good about
themselves,” Aramayo said.

Witham’s friends say she would engage everybody in
conversation and knew people from many different social
circles.

“She never went with the crowd,” Aramayo said.
“She made people feel comfortable. She would share your pain.
She was the epitome of a beautiful friend.”

Her mother concurred. “She was genuine. She extended
herself to everyone and she listened to people and her heart went
out to them.”

Aramayo says that Witham spoke with her family frequently.

“They wouldn’t just talk, they would laugh. She
loved them more than anything in this world.”

Her family says that they were truly blessed with an angel from
heaven. Witham had wanted to be a news anchor since her high school
days. In college, she worked for Mainline, the first newsmagazine
to air on UCLA TV. She worked for Fox KTTV, serving as an
assignment desk researcher and field producer and was in the
process of creating a tape of her work to send to various
networks.

Witham’s friends and family say that her presence would
light up the room. She was the first person to say good morning,
and always said good night. She liked to sing in the shower, try
new things, and had the most incredible brown eyes.

She was sincere, articulate, and genuine.

She has been known to say: “This is going to sound cheesy,
but I’m really happy we’re friends.”

After years of Witham showing her friends and family how much
they meant to her through her cards, her words, and her actions, it
has been their turn to show the world just how much she meant to
them.