Content warning: This article contains references to suicide.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988. 

Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential.

To talk with a counselor from Yale Mental Health and Counseling, schedule a session here. On-call counselors are available at any time: call (203) 432-0290.  Appointments  with Yale College Community Care can be scheduled here.

Students who are interested in taking a medical leave of absence should reach out to their residential college dean.

Additional resources are available in a guide compiled by the Yale College Council here.

Garrett Woodard ’23, a senior in Berkeley College, died by suicide last week at the age of 23. 

An architecture major from Selma, North Carolina, Woodard is remembered by his loved ones as a dedicated artist and innovative thinker who cared deeply about his family and friends. Twenty-two of Woodard’s peers and family members shared memories of him with the News.  

“I want to share Garrett’s childlike sense of wonder and his never-ending desire to learn and grow and see the world,” sister Marilee Woodard told the News. “The way he treated people, always making people happy, and never hurting a living thing are what he strived for every day.”

Ernestina Hsieh ’24, a fellow architecture major, enrolled with Woodard in the fall of 2018. During their sophomore year, they collaborated on a community housing project. Woodard’s work, Hsieh said, was characterized by clean lines and keen attention to detail.  

In a joint statement to the News, members of Woodard’s architecture studio wrote that he would often lean over to closely look at their projects, examining them from every angle. Whether looking at a sketch or a fully-developed piece, Woodard was always quick to offer his peers praise.

“When he was done, he would turn to you slowly, eyes wide open, huge smile on his face, and say, ‘Dude!’” the students wrote. “It was a look that said, ‘Do you realize what you’ve done?’”

Like Marilee Woodard, Hsieh described Woodard as intensely creative — not only through architecture, but also through music. Ben Lauring ’23, who met Woodard as a sophomore, said the two immediately started collaborating on “jam sessions” around campus. Lauring said Woodard was “obsessed with music,” a trait that was evident to anyone who saw his thousands of liked songs on Spotify. 

Another one of Woodard’s friends, Giacomo Glotzer ’23, was Woodard’s roommate during their sophomore year. Glotzer said their shared room was like an art gallery, as Woodard tended to display others’ art over his own. He arranged pieces in creative ways, with posters pasted on the corner between the wall and the ceiling. 

Glotzer and Woodard spent time together in New Haven last summer, when Woodard was working at Luckey Climbers, a company that designs playgrounds. Glotzer remembered spending his birthday with Woodard, when they sat outside and recounted stories from their past few years of friendship. 

Glotzer also recalled Woodard’s love for exploring and spending time outside. Woodard spent the summer after his first year in Bhutan and spent part of his gap year working with the ACE Conservation Corps. He was an avid skier, known to whiz past friends on black diamond slopes and then meet them at the bottom with a grin.

Lauring recalled a hike he had gone on with Woodard last March, when they came upon a group of three fellow hikers who spoke only Spanish. Woodard, who Lauring said spoke the language at an “L2 or L3” level, tried to make conversation with them. After a valiant effort, Woodard insisted on getting a selfie with the hikers before they parted.

“When you’re with Garrett he really makes you feel… like a kid a little bit, in the best way,” Lauring told the News. “He’s curious about everything and about everybody.” 

Woodard’s friends spoke fondly about his quirks: he lit incense and sent friends albums when they had a hard day. He befriended strangers and sang in his room. For long stretches of time, he would go vegetarian out of concern for the environment. 

Housemates Lauring, Lucy Minden ’23 and Ignacio Diaz Pascual ’23 all described Woodard as a relentless optimist — someone who saw the best in people and never held a grudge.

Glotzer also recalled Woodard’s love for his family. He said Woodard’s mom would often send massive quantities of baked goods to their house which he would share with all of their housemates. 

“Garrett loved his parents and his sister so much,” Glotzer said. “One of my favorite quotes that he would always say is, ‘I just fucking love my mom, man.’”

Marilee Woodard attributed her brother’s “sense of wonder of the world and curiosity” to their father, who she said instilled and helped cultivate these traits in his son. Woodard was an Eagle Scout, and he and his father spent time together hiking, camping and backpacking. The entire family “valued the beauty and complexity of the natural world,” according to Marilee Woodard, and shared a love of the outdoors.

Marilee Woodard told the News that after her brother’s passing, Berkeley students gathered and wrote letters to his family — “they’re all amazing,” she wrote to the News. She added that her brother’s family and friends intend to “carry his memory throughout the rest of [their] lives” by advocating for more mental health awareness and resources for those who are struggling. 

Woodard’s fellow architecture studio members wrote that among the qualities in Woodard that they will most miss are “his cheeky smile, his crossed legs, his skateboard walk, and his stripes.” 

“[His smile was] one of the first things I noticed about him,” Diaz Pascual told the News.  “When he smiled it was with his whole entire being. Every part of his face lit up.”

He is survived by his sister, Marilee Elisabeth Woodard, and parents, Gary Paul Woodard and Susan Watson Woodard. 

Read more about how the News covers student deaths here. 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988.

Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential.

To talk with a counselor from Yale Mental Health and Counseling, schedule a session here. On-call counselors are available at any time: call (203) 432-0290.  Appointments  with Yale College Community Care can be scheduled here.

Students who are interested in taking a medical leave of absence should reach out to their residential college dean.

Additional resources are available in a guide compiled by the Yale College Council here.