Luke Layman's Stories

I met Luke during my exchange year at Oakridge High School in 2017–2018. We shared a few classes together, and from the very beginning he was one of those people who made me feel welcome.
Coming from Italy as an exchange student, I was stepping into a completely new environment, and naturally it took some time to find my place. Luke made that easier. He was incredibly inclusive, and I remember how naturally he brought me into the group and made me feel like I belonged there. When I think about Luke, I remember someone who was extremely intelligent and ambitious, but also genuinely funny and fun to be around. I have so many good memories from the classes we shared and from the time spent with him and the rest of our group. He was definitely one of the people who had a real and positive impact on my year in the US, and those memories have stayed with me even after all these years. There is also something that makes remembering Luke particularly meaningful to me. We shared the same dream of becoming doctors. This coming February, I will graduate from medical school and become a doctor. I wish more than anything that Luke had been given the chance to reach that goal too. Knowing the person he was—his intelligence, ambition, and the way he cared about people—I truly believe he would have made an incredible doctor.
As I get closer to achieving the dream that we once shared, I like to think that in some small way I can carry a part of his dream forward with me too. Every person I am fortunate enough to help throughout my career will remind me of the privilege of getting the opportunity to do what Luke was working toward as well. 
I will always be grateful that, during one very important year of my life, our paths crossed. Luke made that year better, and I will always remember him for it.