Heartbreaking. Marina was truly a good person. The world is all the poorer without her. I am glad to have known her.
Such an incredibly lovely person, and such a loss. I have lots of the same memories as Nate; Marina was one of the first people I met at Williams, and I remember her standing in the side of a hill, slipping up a path covered in pine needles, with a loose backpack cutting into her shoulders and canvas sneakers. She walked the whole time that way, not a single complaint. She was quiet to start, brilliant throughout, and more than anyone else I met at Williams, she stood out as an example of what it means to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and to quietly, by force of example, encourage others to do the same. A copy of The Master and Margarita has been on my shelf for years, because of her. We will miss her.
Marina passed away after a 4-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She wrote with great wit, passion, and candor about her struggles (and victories) in her blog: Nutritionist vs. Cancer (https://www.nutritionistvcancer.com/about/).
Marina was one of the first people I met at Williams–we were on the same WOOLF trip just before the start of our first year–and she opened my eyes to the fact that I was going to meet many amazing people with incredible stories and personal qualities. I think it was a first backpacking trip for both of us, and I remember pestering my parents to get me all the “necessary” backpacking gear. Marina did the whole 5-day trip, as I recall, in street shoes (I think they were Vans) and white cotton socks, never complaining once through long hikes, heavy packs, and lots of rain. If there was any doubt that she was both tougher and more humble than me, I also remember her telling a story of her early childhood in Russia; namely that she’d had her tonsils removed at the age of 5…without anesthetic. I remember her as a quiet, sweet, clearly intelligent young woman, and I’m so sorry to hear of her passing. Later in that year, we both took the Winter Study “My Favorite Author,” and Marina chose Bulkagov, whom I’d never heard of before then. I still have not read “Master and Margarita,” but it’s back to the top of my list in honor of Marina.
Heartbreaking. Marina was truly a good person. The world is all the poorer without her. I am glad to have known her.
Such an incredibly lovely person, and such a loss. I have lots of the same memories as Nate; Marina was one of the first people I met at Williams, and I remember her standing in the side of a hill, slipping up a path covered in pine needles, with a loose backpack cutting into her shoulders and canvas sneakers. She walked the whole time that way, not a single complaint. She was quiet to start, brilliant throughout, and more than anyone else I met at Williams, she stood out as an example of what it means to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and to quietly, by force of example, encourage others to do the same. A copy of The Master and Margarita has been on my shelf for years, because of her. We will miss her.
Marina passed away after a 4-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She wrote with great wit, passion, and candor about her struggles (and victories) in her blog: Nutritionist vs. Cancer (https://www.nutritionistvcancer.com/about/).
Marina was one of the first people I met at Williams–we were on the same WOOLF trip just before the start of our first year–and she opened my eyes to the fact that I was going to meet many amazing people with incredible stories and personal qualities. I think it was a first backpacking trip for both of us, and I remember pestering my parents to get me all the “necessary” backpacking gear. Marina did the whole 5-day trip, as I recall, in street shoes (I think they were Vans) and white cotton socks, never complaining once through long hikes, heavy packs, and lots of rain. If there was any doubt that she was both tougher and more humble than me, I also remember her telling a story of her early childhood in Russia; namely that she’d had her tonsils removed at the age of 5…without anesthetic. I remember her as a quiet, sweet, clearly intelligent young woman, and I’m so sorry to hear of her passing. Later in that year, we both took the Winter Study “My Favorite Author,” and Marina chose Bulkagov, whom I’d never heard of before then. I still have not read “Master and Margarita,” but it’s back to the top of my list in honor of Marina.