Third-year Education student Megan Parker passed away Jan. 7 at University Hospital after suffering injuries in a car accident Jan. 1.
Parker will be remembered for her bright smile, compassion and dedication to teaching, family members and friends said.
"She was very caring and very shy," said her mother, Susan. "I don't think many people realized what a great friend she could be."
But Parker's personality did not always go unnoticed, friend and 1999 Commerce graduate Shawn Batten said.
"She was the kind of person you wanted to be around, because she ended up making you feel better about yourself," Batten said.
Parker suffered head and leg injuries in the car accident and fell into a coma, from which she did not recover.
Parker aspired to become a high school teacher since she was seven years old, her mother said.
"I think she would have been very compassionate with high school students and the struggles they go through," she said.
Parker never lost sight of her goals, Batten said.
"She was very passionate about teaching," he said. "When she finds something she is passionate about, she goes out and gets it. She doesn't let things get in the way."
In addition to her work in the Education school, Parker was active in the Madison House tutoring program.
Parker's mother said the family may establish a scholarship in Megan's name for a graduate of her high school who plans to attend the University.
Parker is survived by her parents, Vernon and Susan, her sister Allison, and her brother Christopher. Memorial services were held Jan. 11 at St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Richmond.
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