LC mourns loss of Roan Mulholland

Lewis & Clark mourns the death of Roan Mulholland, a first-year student from New Mexico who passed away from unknown causes on campus on March 5.

Roan’s mother, Kirste Plunket, said her daughter had been thrilled to be a part of LC, which was her first choice of school to attend.

“She loved the campus and the friendliness and openness of its people,” Plunket said via email. “More than anything, she was a gentle soul, a kind soul, a giving soul.”

Roan’s father Mark Mulholland said that Roan loved the academic environment of school, where she thrived even while facing the challenge of attending college during a pandemic. He recalled her connections to others.

“In the joyous moments of remembering Roan I think of her great connection to her sister, Sophia; her strong love and compassion for all her family and friends; her wonderful writing and how everything Roan did had the immense feeling of not just being done, but curated,” Mark Mulholland said via email.

Dean of Spiritual Life Mark Duntley said that words could not express the community’s grief. 

“Roan’s death is a tragic loss to our community, and my heart goes out to her family and friends in this time of deep sadness,” Duntley said via email. “Each student here brings their own gifts which add greatly to our campus community, and to lose Roan so suddenly and at such a young age only magnifies the loss we feel.” 

Roan’s loss reverberated through LC and her home community. Her high school friends who studied with her at the Academy for Technology and the Classics in Santa Fe, New Mexico, paid tribute to her with a tree planting. 

“They hung origami cranes from the branches as Roan would frequently find little scraps of paper, twist them into cranes, and then give them away to her friends,” Plunket said. 

Mark Mulholland expressed appreciation for Roan’s roommate at LC, Halli Nguyen ’24. The two roommates shared their freshman year together and Nguyen was with Roan on her last day.

“I am forever grateful to Roan’s roommate Halli who helped Roan on her last day with us. It means so much to us that Roan had her friend nearby; caring for her and calling for help,” Mark Mulholland said.

Nguyen thought of her as not just a friend, but her “platonic soulmate.” Nguyen said that she would continue living her life not just for herself, but for Roan.

“Roan had many dreams for her future,” Nguyen said via email. “She wanted to be a history major and possibly work in a museum. She wanted to travel the world and visit places like Japan and Korea. She wanted to be someday able to experience LC when Covid passed entirely.” 

Nguyen said that though she was shy, Roan still connected with many people, often through classwork. Greta Burton ’22, who met Roan through RHMS 100 this semester, described her as a “gentle heart.”

“Roan recognized the opportunity in every moment to make someone feel seen, appreciated, celebrated and even loved,” Burton said via email. “Roan used every opportunity to communicate with joy and spread light.”

Burton remembered Roan as an enthusiastic and diligent student who led group projects and tried to do more than her fair share of the work.

“Her passion and hunger for knowledge were a force to be reckoned with,” Burton said.

Nguyen recalled many fond memories with Roan, including introducing her to Spam musubi, listening to K-Pop together and their first time meeting on Zoom. What stuck out to Nguyen was how Roan would notice the small parts of the world and be compelled to photograph them.

“There were always so many times where I’d accidentally run into her because she’d stopped only to realize there was a pretty plant that she just had to capture in a photo,” Nguyen said. “Together, we would always say hello to all the birds, spiders, and squirrels that would cross our path.”

The kindness and joy many recognized within Roan extends to Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Bruce Suttmeier. He offered his condolences to her family and friends.

“Roan was a kind, thoughtful, and generous presence on campus and will be profoundly missed,” Suttmeier said via email.

The college is planning a celebration of life to honor Roan. It remains undecided whether the memorial will be in person or remote, and when it will take place. Duntley encouraged community members who are interested in helping plan the event to email him.

Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-Sullivan acknowledged Roan’s passing “with a heavy heart.” Holmes-Sullivan is involved in planning the memorial.

“We are currently discussing the best way to honor the impact that Roan had on our community,” Holmes-Sullivan said. “We are asking her friends, professors and other LC community members to send in remembrances that will potentially be shared with the family at a later date.”