I’m Sophie, a friend of Zan. Over the summer I was able to spend quite a lot of time with him and our friendship quickly became one of the most important one’s in my life. Upon hearing the news about Zan for the first time, too many thoughts were racing through my mind to fully grasp the reality of the situation. He was such an amazing, caring person. His immense positivity and confidence in others are difficult characteristics to find in an individual. And his ability to support you in such a way that made you believe you would achieve things you had felt so discouraged by before was remarkable. I remember through all the anxiety and nerves of preparing for my driving test he was a source of unfailing encouragement. As I cynically worked my way towards the test date, he was there to pick me up whenever I was feeling disheartened and he was there to celebrate with me when I received my license. After I had passed the test and he was riding along with me, he was able to make stressful situations more relaxed and was patient with me as I got lost… time after time… after time. He was the kind of guy you truly knew was there for you, not because he said it but because he proved it and the kind of person you could trust without a second thought. Even doing the simplest of things with Zan like playing with the dogs made my day. Always so pleasant to be around, Zan had the rare ability to make you forget the worries in life for a little while and just enjoy the present. He made you appreciate the good things, the simple things and in the process made you thankful for the day at hand. It’s for this reason that the loss of his life seems like such a contradiction. How could someone exuding so much belief in others and with such pure kindheartedness be taken so soon? How could someone who made your life so great, lose their own? Those are questions I’ve struggled with. I couldn’t understand why God would take him away. But I then realized that God had also given him to me in the first place. I was blessed to have Zan in my life even if it wasn’t for as long as I’d hoped. And he was a teacher of attributes I should try harder to possess. He taught me how to appreciate what I have, to be confident in myself, to have more faith in others. Just by being him, Zan taught me to be a better me. Although he is no longer here physically, he changed me, and because of this he will always be a part of me.