On the evening of Sunday, March 13, 2015 Mackenzie (Mac) Forrest died, from a car accident that occurred late Saturday night.

The news of her death sounded loud, immediately affecting students and adults all around Colorado.

Mac, as most call her, played basketball for Lakewood High School, and even had scholarship to to go Regis University in the Fall. She had an impressive presence on the court, but also in the hearts of every Jefferson County School.

“She loved the game, and her smile would just brighten up the room,” said Senior, Hannah Weber.

Hannah is not the only one that feels this way. Students across Colorado have come to love this friendly athlete, making the news hard to absorb.

Carly Schnabel, a Freshman at Lakewood High School explained how the school announced the passing of Mac at school, saying, “One of our students started crying because he knew her really well”.

Carly continued to explain how her teacher handled the news, making it clear to the class, “Always respect your strong relationships,” and continued to explain how it’s important to, “Love the people around you, and never take it for granted”.

Death can act as a strong reminder to enjoy the little things.

Student Government member, Valerie Abbattista revealed, “It made me reflect about my own life and how quickly death could happen to anyone”, making sure to pay her respects to all Lakewood students.

Hannah Weber elaborated, similar to Valerie, stating, “It’s just sad that this has to happen to a person that’s had that big of an impact on people”, and clarified, “I have a lot of friends from other schools, and they’re all feeling the same way we are”.

Colorado is mourning Mac’s death, but it has been hardest closer to home. Chase Powell, a student at Lakewood who committed to Regis at a similar time to Mac, grew to find a great friendship with her. He explained, “We had plans to stick together, and go raid my fridge when we had no money to spend on food”.

Knowing that they would be sharing the Regis campus next fall with two other Lakewood commits, the four students had grown close. Chase explained, “We are all a family, and without little Mac there, it just doesn’t seem the same anymore,” and continued to say, “With the death coming so close to graduation, it leaves holes in the hearts of everyone at Lakewood”.

Chase had an endless stream of beautiful things to say about Mac — as does everyone who knew her, even for a brief amount of time. Chase knew her for her “electric smile”, Hannah knew her for her work ethic, and the rest know her as the athlete whose life tragically got “cut so short”, as Chase explained.

Mac’s joyful spirit will continue through memories, stories, and pictures. Whether you knew her personally, or just heard her story, the life of Mackenzie Forrest lives on in the hearts of everyone.

“Without her, Lakewood will never be the same,” ended Chase. #RIPLilMa