On Feb. 16, West alumna Hope Cartwright (formerly Hope Thompson) tragically passed in a hit-and-run accident just blocks from her place of work as an associate editor at Virginia Living Magazine. In her four years at West, Cartwright held a myriad of impressive titles – ranging from Editor-in-Chief of The Occidentalist to valedictorian of the class of 2020. 

  An incredible student with a powerful voice, Cartwright had the rare talent of injecting heart and humanity into the most drab, informative, or controversial pieces of writing. Her perspective powerfully impacted those around her; her pieces are still used to bring awareness by those who cherished her work, such as the previous advisor of The Occidentalist and current Spanish teacher, Catherine Hansen. 

  “She was always a strong writer, that’s key for a journalist. You have to love writing. She wrote good stories, but as I saw her grow by junior year, she took informative stories and made them personal. One of her articles I still use today; it’s one of the best I’ve read,” Hansen said.

  Cartwright had an unwavering desire to unveil the truth, leading her to seek out investigative stories during her journalism career. For The Occidentalist, she covered topics such as inappropriate internet relations, marijuana legalization, and most notably, transgender students.

  Not only was she a strong and heartfelt writer, Cartwright possessed an innate knack for leadership. Her tough love and encouragement had the ability to ignite pride and inspiration in every individual she worked with, and her magnetic love for journalism spread to all in her presence. 

  “Hope was definitely the one to put everyone in their place, but also to reinstate that she loved that class; she loved when people loved it like she did. I think we all take a piece of that with us, that she just loved it, and she was a very strong kind of person,” West alumna and previous Occidentalist staff member Riley Ashbury said.

  Becoming a good leader involves so much more than simply being “bossy” or “loud.” Strong leaders, such as Cartwright, are remembered for their persistence, their passion, and – arguably most important – the contentness of their staff.

  “I’ve had the same conversation with every editor: leaders are judged by those they lead. Meaning, if your staff is happy, you’re leading them well. If your staff is unhappy because they’re feeling pressured or not respected, then that’s a reflection of you as a leader. She could really lead her staff to a point where they respected her, they wanted to work for her, they wanted to do what’s best for the newspaper because she led them in a way that made them feel proud of their work. She was a tremendous leader,” Hansen said.

  One of Cartwright’s most defining legacies was her ability to inspire. By putting in the time, effort, and care to individually assist each one of her staff members, her training and insight created lasting effects.

  “My favorite part of working with her was just how generous she was. She really worked with me. She saw something in me I really didn’t see back then despite me being the goofball I was when I worked for The Occidentalist. She still worked with me, and encouraged me. She told me I could keep going and be a writer, despite many people telling me I couldn’t. Her leadership style, seeing how she ran things and her compassion, it just showed me an example of what I could do [as Editor-in-Chief] at Ferris. It’s what I’ve been doing, and I know she’s probably proud of me for that,” West alumnus and previous Occidentalist staff member Blase Gapinski said.

  Cartwright’s former Occidentalist assistant editor and lifelong best friend, Tess Crowley, took part in everything from her grandest adventures to monotonous nights of homework. The two shared an incredibly special bond, and Crowley was right by her side every step of the way as Cartwright blossomed into a beautiful writer and soul.  

  “She and I loved to dance. We sang, danced together. We did our homework together. We went to the movies together. 
We took driver’s training together. We were editors of the paper together. I was the president in AP Gov in high school, and she was the vice president. 
She supported me, and I supported her. She’s just a part of me, and she was such a light. She was the brightest person in every room. I have her in my phone still, her contact in my phone is Hope Star, […] and she was just that; she was a star, and, you know, people really admired her, and still do,” Crowley said.

 Cartwright’s love for writing only grew as time went on. After high school, she attended Northwestern University to major in journalism, afterwards landing a job as an associate editor at Virginia Living, an impressive title for someone so young. Her storytelling continued to reach hearts far and wide, and she always made it a point to put the humanity of the individual whom she was interviewing above all.

  “She wrote a story about a man who was this nutcracker maker [while at Virginia Living]. After her death, he came out and said that it was the best, [and that] he’s been in a lot of news articles and it was the best story he’d ever read about himself. He felt that she accurately represented him as a person and did it beautifully. She just had a genuine care for the people whose story she was telling, and they felt like they were represented,” Crowley said.

  While Cartwright wrote with wisdom well beyond her years, her stories had the capability to resonate with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Her words sparked soul, and her diligent curiosity drove her to create touching works of writing.

  “She just was. She was life. You [would] look at Hope, and most people automatically just thought one thing about her. She was beautiful. Her personality, everything she stood for was so much more. It made everything all the more impressive. I think that you don’t expect that sometimes. You hope for that, with everybody. But you don’t always expect that,” English teacher Aimee Cole said. 

   Despite her time on Earth being cut abruptly and painfully short, Cartwright embraced each moment with such vivacious life, heart, and wisdom.

  “It’s so hard to explain someone who was so light in their spirit yet carried the weight of the world inside them as well. I think that there are just those certain people that you meet that you just know. You know they’re going to do wonderful things in the world. You’re happy you know that they’re out there. You know that they’re going to make an impression on all the people that they meet. Hope did that,” Cole said. 

  Although Hope no longer walks in the world, her presence persists. Her voice rings from Virginia to Michigan, her spirit continues to soak into every human, and her dreams funnel into discoveries for those inspired by her adoration for humankind. 

   “We have to take comfort that [although] she’s not here. I’m still using her article. That part still lives on. I can still carry her on. I can still educate people through her,” Hansen said. “She’s not here, but I can still hope that something I taught her about journalism or compassion through serving students at the orphanage in Mexico, or building global friendships, hopefully, that carried on somewhere. That she passed that on while she was becoming a global citizen in the world. Hopefully, that carried on and affected other people. I have to hope, that’s what I hold on to.”