Elizabeth Brooke Greenberg, former President/Campus Correspondent of UC Irvine’s Her Campus chapter, was a light in her community. In the twenty beautiful years she lived, Elizabeth was a sister, daughter, granddaughter, roommate, teammate, model, and friend. Set to graduate in June 2021 at University of California – Irvine, she studied English, worked with OSEA Angel Investors at The Cove, and was heavily involved in Her Campus. Below are a few accounts of the different roles and positive impact Elizabeth made on her campus and her community. Although we share only a small portion of the many friends she had, we hope to show how loved and loving Elizabeth was.
Read all her Her Campus at UCI articles here by clicking the text.
Childhood Friend – Hannah Schoenbaum
Lizzy’s love for her friends was unparalleled. I was lucky enough to have her as one of my best friends from kindergarten on and, through all those years, she never failed to make me feel valued and understood. We met through Girl Scouts in elementary school and quickly formed our core group of girls who remain close to this day. We grew up making hilarious home videos, like our classic Toddlers & Tiaras mockumentary and the holiday song parody video that we boldly screened in front of our entire middle school. We used to belt out the lyrics to High School Musical songs at our sleepovers (Lizzy always claimed Sharpay’s parts, rightfully so) and we baked a giant cookie cake for every one of our graduations. Now that we’ve lost Lizzy, our final college graduation cookie cake will taste bittersweet. She was a part of so many defining moments in our lives, so now, when I see my friends thriving and doing what they love, I can’t help but think about how Lizzy shaped all of our lives for the better.
Photo Courtesy of G Singh
Photographer and Friend – G Singh
I had the opportunity to know Lizzie through her passion of modeling and mine of photography. It all started with her sending me a message and as always, appreciating my work and asking me to collaborate with her on a shoot. Back then I had barely started as a photographer so was a little nervous to have a shoot with her but little did I know I would end up finding a person, beautiful both in and out who would become a bigger part of my life. We were sort of a creative duo, on the regular we would share creative shoot ideas, her interest in writing led to us sharing our pieces and also our lines of poetry. There was so much about her to appreciate and value. She was kind and gentle to everyone she knew and always made an effort to keep up to your life as well as care for you. Working with Elizabeth was always something I looked forward to, as a model she was a calm and confident to work with, she would believe in her ideas and trust me to help execute them, I really can’t thank her enough for being the support that helped me grow and establish myself as a photographer.
We all miss Lizzie dearly, forever in our hearts.
~G
Foreign Exchange Friend – Janina La
Lizzy was the first person I met when I arrived in a country thousands of miles from home, but with her smile, her wonderful personality, positivity and attitude she turned her home into my home in no time. When I felt lost or lonely, Lizzy was right there to lighten up my day! She listened to me or told me one of her awesome and sometimes unbelievable ridiculous stories. Even though we sometimes fought our own little “civil war”, I don’t wanna miss one minute I spend with her. I’ll treasure those memories forever and will keep her in my heart for the rest of my life!
Photo Courtesy of Ingrid Allen
Her Campus Teammate – Ingrid Allen
I first met Liz at the Anteater Involvement Fair at the Her Campus booth and I remember leaving Aldrich Park, excited to join and truly thinking, “Who was that cool girl? She doesn’t seem like anyone else at UCI.” Liz eventually entrusted me with the social media platforms as the first Marketing Director. Liz was an incredible leader for our club. She drove members home and always remembered to thank us for a great time at socials. Her attitude and sense of fun was irreplaceable and invaluable. She led club meetings with a joyous and bright spirit, leading fun conversations on different pop culture events. I often came to meetings just to take my mind off of school and de-stress by listening to Liz and Christine’s funny, perfect dynamic. Liz’s friendship and warmth was always so easily extended. Running into her at Target during finals while she was still in her work clothes, we talked for an hour in the crafts aisle about our future plans. She was going to be a part of a documentary that I was making about being biracial, something we shared in common.
I struggle to wrap my mind around how someone who loved life so much and was so full of it had hers cut short and I am heartbroken for how deep this loss is for many others. I miss her stories about her “third wheeling [her] parents,” about her new boyfriend and hilarious high school promposal stories (that I had happily heard maybe more than once). She went to the things that I would have stayed home from. Now that’s changed–I push myself to live like Liz. After Liz passed, there was a power outage in Irvine for almost three days because there was less light in the world without Liz. Liz inspired me in such a short time–to pursue my interests more passionately, to be proud of my experiences (to be less camera shy!) and overall, have a greater zest for life and love others well. Going forward in this club, I plan to keep her spirit in everything we do. Liz was a writer at heart and she lives on through her writing. At the end of her “20 Thing in 20 Years”, she wrote, “at the end of the day, you only have one life to live so make sure you’re living the life your future self would be proud to see you living.” Here’s to making you proud, Liz!
Her Campus Co-Campus Correspondents – Christine Chen
I’ll forever cherish the time I spent with Elizabeth and the Her Campus team throughout my last year at UC Irvine. As co-editors, we tag-teamed our way through a series of deadlines, meetings, phone calls, and magazine partnerships to find fun, exciting opportunities for our club members. While we made it a priority to see our online magazine succeed, we always had time to goof off and have fun. Elizabeth’s charisma and affinity for adventure naturally came with the best stories to share. I remember we would meet outside of ALP every Monday to plan out our meetings and giggle over her latest boy drama from the weekend. Despite all the losers that DM’d her, she was always ready to welcome everyone into her life and never afraid to put herself out there. It’s no wonder why everyone who met her was instantly charmed by her positive, friendly aura.
Chinese Classmate – Leanne Yuen
Elizabeth was my closest friend in our Chinese class at UCI; I always admired how passionate she was about learning the language and being in touch with her heritage. She brought so much energy and liveliness to our classroom every day, just by how driven and open she was. I’ll always remember giving oral presentations in class and afterward, Liz always texting me “Great job!” She was there for all of us not only as classmates learning a language, but also as friends.
Photo Courtesy of Ashley Chen
Dorm Roommate – Ashley Chen
Moving away from home for the first time and starting a new chapter in life is terrifying for everyone. The only thing that made it better was that I had Liz. It all started with the “UC Irvine Class of 2021” Facebook group. I scrolled and scrolled looking for the girl I would spend my first year of college living with, sharing stories with, and eating smores made in the microwave at 2 AM with. Through the process, I messaged many girls but none of them seemed like the perfect fit. Alas, I saw a collage of cute photos and a description that mirrored my post. I quickly messaged her and we hit it off right away.
We met up at Celebrate UCI and could not stop talking throughout the summer. The first night we moved in, we stayed up until 5 AM exchanging boy stories and laughing at baby photos and videos. She was the person I came home to every night after a long day at school and extracurriculars. She listened to me rant, let me cry on her shoulder, helped me with my essays for Humanities Core Writing (even when she had her own work), dragged me to workout with her, made hilarious Snapchat clips with me, and always helped me refill my water bottle. Every day we lived together held a different adventure: waking up at 7am to hundreds of fruit flies in the room, spending an hour cutting and taping Christmas gift wrap on the door, dressing up as the old and new Taylor Swift for Halloween, and finally convincing me to get a Disneyland annual pass with her so we could spend half the day at “The Happiest Place on Earth” after our midterms.
Elizabeth was my roommate but she quickly became my best friend, too. Even after we weren’t roommates anymore, she was always the first person I would call when something went wrong and the last person I would talk to at night. College would not have been the same without her and I miss her every day. Thank you, Elizabeth, for being the perfect roommate and friend a girl could ask for in college and in life.
Photo Courtesy of Amanda Cooper
Adventure Buddy – Amanda Cooper
Elizabeth was not only my best friend, but somebody who made everything we did together an adventure. She brought enthusiasm, excitement, and meaning to every single thing that came our way. Put simply, she made life in general that much better. We did so much together. Every hike and every spontaneous trip was the pinnacle of not only living, but thriving. We planned to see (and saw) the world. We challenged ourselves. She influenced me to strive to be the best person I could be and to enjoy every bit of what life had to offer. She encouraged me to never settle for anything less than that. She was wise beyond her years, with the purest heart and the most caring soul. It takes a special kind of person to impact my life so significantly and make our story together the adventure that it was. Lizzy was that person and more. I will love her and carry the memories with me forever. Here’s to more adventures, my dearest friend. You may not be by my side for these ones, but you’ll always be in my heart.
Sisterhood – Danielle Tolsma
Lizzy was my adventure buddy. We got our sneakers dusty on sunny morning hikes, our flip flops salty in tidal pool treks, our Converse soaked on rainy after-school Disney days, our heels off at school dances.
We could’ve been sisters if she wasn’t so damn tall. She was my half-Chinese, half-white twin: we made a game of figuring out whose features were whose on face-swap. We always took pictures with her head resting atop mine.
We named the group chat of the four of us ‘The Sisterhood’, after ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’— cheesy, I know, but honestly an apt name for us. We did everything together, from Christmas cookie baking to summer strolls at the beach. Even our parents all became friends, which was really cute— we have potlucks with all four of our families every now and then.
She was my other half, my other halfie.
I keep being reminded of Lizzy. In the little things. The hand-me-down clothes in my closet. The mug in my hand. The handful of words I remember in Chinese from our Saturday morning classes. After robotics meetings every week we would always drive next to each other, blasting the radio and dancing the whole way home. My first time driving after getting my license was to go to her house.
She taught me how to be vulnerable, how to dance in the car, how to struggle through learning Chinese, how to chat for hours and hours and hours. She brought out the best in me, the best in everyone. Her laughter and love of life is infectious.
Sisterhood – Andra Thomas
When you ask me to talk about Lizzy, I never know where to begin. She was my best friend for the past 8 years and every single day she had my back. She cared for me more than any other friend ever has and was always my biggest supporter. She was my sister, best friend, and the other half of my heart. However, I wasn’t the only person that she made feel this way. Every single person she included in her life had the privilege of having such an incredible friend. She always put the people in her life first. She would be there for you no matter what. She always reached out to check in on you and catch up with what was going on in your life. Even with our friend group, she was the one who made time for everyone and kept the rest of us up to date on what was going on in each other’s lives. Being a college student you tend to feel that you’re too busy and overwhelmed to make time for the the people closest. You take time for granted. It’s easy to use school, jobs, or student organizations as an excuse to not have enough time. However, when you look back on life, it’s not the late nights studying that you remember, but the memories that you made with the people most important to you. Lizzy learned this a really long time ago and made sure we were always the most important thing in her life.
Sisterhood – Nikki Saeedi
In the days after Lizzy’s death, I couldn’t help but listen to one of her favorite songs, “For Good”, from the Broadway musical Wicked. Lyrics such as “It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part so much of me is made of what I learned from you,” and “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good,” have stuck with me in a way that I never would have imagined.
Lizzy cherished her friends like no other. I am filled with gratitude every time I remember our impromptu dance parties while baking, pretend fashion shows in her walk-in closet, or early morning beach photoshoots (modeling directed by Lizzy of, course). The four of us were immensely lucky to have found each other, and even luckier to have known her.
Lizzy was the type of person that knew exactly what you were capable of, even if you yourself had no clue. Her dedication and support for her friends was unparalleled, whether conveyed through her late-night “tough love” speeches through FaceTime or her “You got this girlie!” texts sent with her signature Purple Heart emoji.
She was unapologetically herself and I will always admire that about her as I strive to embody her confidence and strength in everything that I do. Through knowing her, I have learned what it means to be a friend. As Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, might say, because I knew Lizzy I have been changed For Good, and for that I am forever grateful.
Photo Courtesy of the Greenberg Family
Sister – Kathryn Greenberg
Elizabeth, my lizard and my Eliza. We had a roller coaster of a sister relationship. It was only within the past few years that you became one of my closest friends, and now you’re gone. I will cherish all of the time we spent together, but I’m so thankful for all of our sister moments. The first I can remember is when I surprised you for your 18th birthday with a sister weekend trip to Palm Desert. You were always up for an adventure, and with that came a photoshoot. You were always the more photogenic one – that being said, you would say it’s because I always posed and smiled the same in every photo. There were so many photoshoots – at Corona del Mar main beach, at the Newport Beach Civic Park, in Old Town Pasadena, etc. My favorite sister photoshoot is the one done by G. People always called us twins, which I never understood, and this photoshoot proved otherwise. I still cannot believe that during these photoshoots or in everyday life, some people thought I was the little sister. You would just laugh or have that devious smile on your face, especially if I was the one being carded. I will miss all of our conversations, whether on the phone or with a boba in hand. You’d always listen, and sometimes try to blackmail me, but I could always count on you to be there for me. It’s hard not being able to talk to you and hear about the crazy things you’ve been up to. What I will miss most about you, is who you were. You were always about living life to the fullest and always being there for your friends and family. You’ve helped me become a better person, and I can only continue to become the best person I can be because of you. I’m heartbroken being here in Minnesota. You were supposed to come visit me after I moved. I’m going to miss all of the plans we had for the future. I’m sure you would be in shock at how your big sister would be crying this much over you. I know you are always with me. I miss you and I love you so much. P.S. Sorry if my grammar still isn’t great. We both know that isn’t going to change very much <3
Photo Courtesy of Kathryn Greenberg
Mom – Allison Greenberg
Elizabeth was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, Elizabeth is my youngest daughter, the one I cuddled and slept with night after night as a little girl to keep the nightmares away and the one who wanted to hear her parents sing “A” You’re Adorable every night to her at bedtime. She was beautiful inside and out – full of smiles, laughter, joy, love, hugs, compassion, empathy, spirit and adventure who loved having fun, reading, writing, eating, singing, dancing, hiking, jet skiing and traveling. She loved going to Disneyland, musicals and concerts. Elizabeth was my fashionista. She had style! She loved doing her nails, putting outfits together and modeling. She taught herself how to do her hair and apply her makeup from watching YouTube videos as I was useless in this area. She even helped me get ready for parties when we were together. She loved color, glitter, sequins, lace and bling! Elizabeth loved being Chinese. She loved pandas, eating Chinese food, learning Mandarin and visiting China. Elizabeth loved spending as much time as possible with her friends and she would talk with and listen to them endlessly all night long into the wee hours of the morning sometimes. Elizabeth loved being silly! She was also smart, hardworking, independent, sensitive and had the biggest heart. Elizabeth was always creative, writing stories and poems since she was a little girl. She had big dreams and was intent on fulfilling them one by one. Elizabeth came home to be with family, sometimes just to have dinner and watch a movie or TV, never missing a holiday or birthday. The Summer of 2018, Elizabeth wanted to go sky diving. I was worried that something terrible would happen to her, so I told Elizabeth that I didn’t want her to go. Elizabeth told me then that I needed to let her live her life as she wanted to live it. That she would choose to do the things that she loved and made her happy. Elizabeth said that if she stopped doing things because she was too paranoid or too afraid, then she would not be living at all. Elizabeth never did go sky diving. Instead, Elizabeth went hiking. She conquered Mt. Baldy that summer. Her dad and I never kept close tabs on Elizabeth. We let her live her life. We’ll never know why or how it happened but what I do know is that Elizabeth always stayed true to herself and lived by her convictions. She became the person that she was meant to be, a person that everyone loved in all the many ways that she connected to people. Although my heart is broken, I will try to remember that Elizabeth loved what she was doing. She loved to hike. I will always love and miss you Elizabeth! Mommy
Photo Courtesy of the Greenberg Family
Dad – Bart Greenberg
My dearest, loveliest Elizabeth . . . how can I possibly summarize a lifetime of our experiences into a single paragraph? I will never forget the first time I looked into your eyes. Your tiny fist grabbed my extended index finger. We were bonded for life! It was so amazing being a part of your journey from infant, toddler, child and teenager to that of a beautiful, young adult. I am so devastated that your journey ended so soon. I will always cherish our father/daughter times together. You were my travel buddy and my snorkel buddy. You were the only one who would share those weird or spicy foods with me. We looked forward to talking about the most recent developments in the Marvel and DC universes. I’ll never forget our first day driving together (because I was too damn scared to forget) or the day we moved you into your dorm at UCI (because I had never carried so many pairs of shoes and boots in my entire life). Music was a very special part for your life. You had a “photographic” memory for song lyrics. I was self-conscious singing in front of you because you would always correct me when I got a verse wrong. You would quiz me ad nauseam about which artists were singing which songs on your playlists. We would high-five when I got one right. At your urging, we saw several musicals together, most notably “Hamilton” and “Book of Mormon,” for which, I say “thank you for the music . . . for giving it to me.” We also shared a special bond as the two humanities majors in our household united against our two STEM nemeses. I am so heartbroken that you are gone and that we won’t be able to share any more of these moments together. I will miss you and us beyond comprehension. With all of my love, your father.
Photo Courtesy of Her Campus at UC Irvine
Elizabeth Brooke Greenberg
February 22, 1999 – July 31, 2019