My condolences to Jess's family. I first met Jess during our first year in our PhD program alongside Carolina. After observing Jess’s kindness and maturity, I knew we would be friends for a long time. I will always remember Jess’s kindness and helpfulness. It was admirable. I’m sad they are gone, but I am grateful for our memories. Thank you Jess for being in my life. 

Jess was a 2017 Rackham Merit Fellow — with Jess Millar

I met Jess in our first year in graduate school. My first impressions were that they were quite friendly and that they looked nerdy. Eventually we became housemates and I got to know more about Jess. We had a lot of things in common which included our admiration for the positive things in Japanese culture and, of course, ANIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! To our great surprise, Michigan being automobile industry oriented, it means there is a nice presence of Japanese due to Toyota. I will remember the times we drove to a Japanese store due close to Detroit, as well as a very tasty Japanese bakery and restaurant…we even got the fantastic opportunity of attending a comic con in Detroit! I am glad I got to meet Jess as the very kind human being they were. I hope to encounter them again in some future reincarnation cycle!