A Tarleton State University sophomore who suffered a fatal injury while competing at a rodeo in Alpine, Texas, is being remembered by her friends as a radiant and joyful presence whose laughter and kindness touched everyone around her.
Alejandra Franco was competing with her university rodeo team Thursday evening when she was fatally injured. By Friday morning, friends and classmates were processing the devastating news and struggling to accept that she was gone.
“She was just a bundle of joy” said friend Aubrey Evans who described Franco as someone with a carefree spirit that could turn any ordinary moment into something memorable. Evans recalled how Franco would spontaneously dance in the street or walk up to strangers at Whataburger just to ask for a photo without caring what anyone thought.
Friend Emily Lonsford said Franco had a gift for lifting people’s spirits no matter the circumstances. “She could just always make you laugh no matter what state you were in” Lonsford said adding that Franco’s laugh was one of the sweetest sounds she had ever heard.
Friend Sienna Mallory described how Franco would track her friends’ locations just to show up and surprise them in the most unexpected places. Mallory said the reality of losing her friend hit hard when she began thinking about a future without her. “This is our new reality” Mallory said.
Friend Maile Petty said Franco had a rare ability to make everyone feel included and welcome. “Never let anybody feel left out or out of place. She was just a light to everyone” Petty said.
Mackenzie Langley a Tarleton State graduate student who served as Franco’s mentor through the university’s Tarleton Transition Mentors program said she learned Friday morning about Franco’s death through a social media post. Langley immediately reached out to Franco’s closest friends. “It doesn’t feel real. This feels like a nightmare” Langley said.
Lonsford echoed that disbelief saying she still could not fully process the loss. Reminders of Franco were still visible throughout her friends’ apartment including decorations left over from her recent birthday celebration.
Despite their grief Franco’s friends said they are committed to honoring her memory by carrying forward the positivity and warmth she embodied. “She always made something so negative so positive and that’s the kind of life that I want to live” Mallory said.
Franco’s death marks a tragic loss for the Tarleton State University community as friends family and classmates mourn a young woman who was described by all who knew her as an irreplaceable source of light and laughter.