LifeEDITORS Torie Foster & Pamela Kidd E-MAIL breezearts@gmail.com Monday, August 30, 2010 23

on page 26 MOST DIFFICULT RESIDENT MOVE-INS

� ough Eastlawn Cemetery hosts hun-dreds of � owered graves adorned by the occasional American flag, only a single gravesite drew a crowd on Aug. .

Beneath a small burgundy tent, about family members and friends circled around the co� n of Brian Carderelli, an ’ JMU graduate killed in Afghanistan. A silent, profound respect hung in the air as Pastor Ken Aldrich spoke of the absolving of sin achieved through death.

Instead of mourning, it seemed the purpose of the ceremony was honoring Carderelli’s life. Many in attendance chose to wear an array of colors in place of the traditional black and many eyes were dry.

Carderelli’s mother, Sharon, quietly addressed the crowd.

“Just as God through Christ has forgiv-en us,” she said, “we forgive the men who killed Brian.”

As seven doves were released from a box

and � ew toward a distant church, the fami-ly’s message softly resonated. It wasn’t until family and friends said their � nal goodbyes, touching and kissing the co� n, that their grief became visible.

A month earlier, Carderelli, a Harri-sonburg native, had been in Afghanistan documenting and promoting the work of the International Assistance Mission. with a camera lens. According to news sources, on Aug. , gunmen attacked and shot all people of the mission, one by one. Glen Lapp, a ’ Eastern Mennonite Universi-ty graduate, was also among those killed. Only one of the medical team’s drivers, Sa� -ullah, survived to share what happened.

� e Taliban released a statement shortly after the shooting claiming responsibility.

“I take that with a grain of salt,” said J.D. Patton, a friend of the Carderelli family who works at Covenant Presbyterian Church. “We may never know who was ultimately

responsible.”Despite knowing the risk of entering the

country, the -year-old graduate of JMU’s School of Media Arts & Design demonstrat-ed a love for the Afghan people clearly seen through his view� nder.

“He had a passion for it, he was creative with it,” said Pastor Tim Frost, who worked with Carderelli at the Covenant Presbyte-rian Church. “He really wanted to display the beauty and the dignity of the people of the land there. I was inspired by his heart for those people, just his love for the people of the land.”

SMAD professor John Hodges, whose children grew up with Carderelli, taught him in an advanced post-production class in the spring of .

“For quite some time he has had a com-passion for the people of Afghanistan,” Hodges said. “His time spent here in SMAD was directly related to his goal of returning

to Afghanistan to show the love of Christ through the power and art of both video and photography. He excelled in my class and after graduating, went to work doing exactly what he had been planning all along.”

Carderelli’s love of people wasn’t just speci� c to Afghanistan.

“Brian loved Jesus and he loved others well,” Frost said. “Whether he was playing with kids or taking pictures in Afghanistan, he loved people.”

Returning the favor, close to , people arrived at Covenant Presbyterian Church for a “Service of � anksgiving” for Carder-elli’s life.

“I think he would’ve been honored and completely humbled to realize how many people he impacted,” Frost said. “I think he would’ve been � oored.”

see MEMORIAL, page 24

By CAITLIN HAWESThe Breeze

Before speaking with school groups, Miss Virginia Caitlin Uze likes to show a picture of a young middle-school girl. � e girl is chubby, has braces and wears oversized glasses. Worse, she talks with a lisp. Her self-confidence is low. At school, other kids make fun of her for her appearance and good grades. � e teach-ers and counselors put her in speech therapy classes.

“Do you think that people make fun of me?” Uze asks when she speaks before school groups.

No, of course not, say the children in the crowd.

“And what about that little girl?” Uze asks again.

Well, says the crowd, well, maybe.“� at little girl was me,” Uze says. So

begins the introduction to her platform, “Uniquely You,” which emphasizes embracing differences and accepting oneself as unique.

“In order to be successful, you don’t need to be perfect,” Uze said.

Uze, a social work major, was crowned Miss Virginia on June at the pageant in Roanoke.

� is year, however, she will not be at JMU; instead she will be traveling more than , miles around the country to ful� ll her role as Miss Virginia, which is now a full-time job.

Throughout the year, she will make about to appearances nation-wide, visiting almost , students. She will participate in events such as parades

and fundraisers before returning to JMU to continue her studies.

Uze will also partner with Girls on the Run, a nonpro� t organization that emphasizes healthy living and � tness.

“I was told I’d never be a speaker,” Uze said. In order to relate to youth with self-perception problems, Uze likes to use her lisp as a metaphor for any sort of life dif-� culty or setback.

Although others discouraged her, she overcame her lisp through speech therapy. Now she is able to speak before thousands of people.

“Sticking to my goals are what got me here. Everyone has their battle,” Uze said. “We walk around and we only see what other people project.”

Uze believes that developing self-appreciation is important.

“The judges saw she has a genuine heart,” said Wendi Gruninger, Caitlin’s manager.

Gruninger said Uze was consistent through all � ve categories: a personal interview, swimsuit, evening wear, tal-ent and the onstage question.

“I have high hopes for her,” said Kath-erine Uze, Caitlin’s mother. “I think being Miss Virginia is going to help her do what she wants to do. She’ll have a lot of contacts, a lot of experience speaking, exposure to di� erent people. I think she’ll be a better person to hire for employers.”

As part of Miss Virginia responsibili-ties, Uze has visited all of the Virginia hospitals a� liated with the Children’s Miracle Network, the pageant’s o� cial

see PAGEANT, page 24

Senior seeks to inspire with Miss Virginia crown

in search ofPEACE

By Torie Foster | � e Breeze

Chinah Helmandollar, an ’09 grad, crowned senior Caitlin Uze Miss Virginia.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDI GRUNINGER

GANDHI’S PHILOSOPHY SPREAD TO YOUTH on page 27

Graduate Brian Carderelli went to Afghanistan to document the beauty he found within the devastation. Though killed by gunmen, Carderelli continues to touch people through his photos.

Photo by Robert Boag | � e Breeze

As seven doves were released from a box “We may never know who was ultimately was directly related to his goal of returning see MEMORIAL, page 24

24 Monday, August 30, 2010 breezejmu.org life

from page 23

Throughout college and before he left for Afghanistan, Carderelli was a volun-teer youth leader who led weekly Bible studies and youth group activities.

Nathan and Austin Slater, 17 and 13, members of the youth group, were just two of many young people Carderelli influenced.

Nathan described Carderelli as hav-ing “an incredible sense of faith.” Austin called Carderelli a “brother” and spoke of how he always put others before himself and never put others down.

“He freed up every Wednesday night to teach a bunch of smelly, immature, middle school boys,” Austin said. “That’s a lot of dedication to Christ.”

Frost shared a memory of a Septem-ber 2008 “Superhero” theme night at the church, in which Carderelli dressed head-to-toe in tin foil, calling himself “Tin Foil Man,” and of a December 2008 Christmas celebration, when he was a Christmas tree, light strands and all.

“He’d saddle up to kids and go ‘Hey … plug me in’, ” Frost said. “He always did stuff wholeheartedly, because he knew the kids would enjoy it. Brian would always go all out, with humor [because] he knew it brought laughter to others.”

In fact, comedy was a common theme during the service, which seemed to rep-resent Carderelli well. He was known for his wit, described as being “redemp-tive” and “lightning-quick” by Pastor Joe

Slater, who worked with Carderelli in the church before Frost.

Michael Albert, Carderelli’s childhood friend and his roommate at JMU during Albert’s senior year, spoke of Carderelli’s loyalty and sinceity.

“He was very willing to do things just because he felt like that was a good thing to do at the time,” Albert said.

Albert detailed one year when Carder-elli was given an iguana. In the nature of his character, Carderelli soon dedicated half of his room to a cage for the grow-ing pet, leaving the other half for his bed.

Carderelli’s death hit Albert hard; the two were planning a surfing trip when Carderelli returned to the States. But it’s had a positive impact, Albert said.

“It’s caused me to re-evaluate priori-ties, to think about what’s important to me,” Albert said. “I see what was impor-tant to Brian, what he was willing to live for and what he was willing to die for, which was serving other people.”

Carderelli’s brother Jonathan stepped up to speak, too.

“My brother wasn’t a superhuman. He wasn’t even a super-Christian. He was my brother,” he said. “Although I’m his big brother, I will always look up to him.”

The last time Hodges spoke with Carderelli, he was consulting him about appropriate equipment to use in Afghanistan.

“He was the kind of guy who never sat on the sidelines waiting for instruc-tion,” Hodges said. “He always took the

initiative and put his best effort into whatever he did.”

Former SMAD professor John Woody did not teach Carderelli but worked with him in post-production labs, where Car-derelli would edit his videos.

“Brian was such a nice person. He also was always so open to suggestions of how to make his projects better,” Woody said. “I will miss Brian’s enthusiasm, his tal-ent and his friendship, but I know that he continues to worship and serve the God

he so loved.”Carderelli set out to find the beauty

within the tragedy through his photogra-phy and videos in Afghanistan. When he died, Carderelli was working on a photo album: “The Beautiful - It’s Not All War.”

“I think for some people [who see Car-derelli’s work], it’s completely changing their view of the country,” Frost said.

As the church pews emptied that Sun-day afternoon, red-rimmed eyes were barely noticeable among a sea of smiling

people. It seemed the service had been cathartic.

“It’s very bitter realizing his body’s there and in the ground,” Frost said. “And yet Brian is very much more alive now than he ever has been, in the presence of Christ. You grieve, but you grieve with hope.”

ContaCt Torie Foster at fosterve@dukes.jmu.edu.

leather-style furniture

private bathrooms

fitness center

take a tour today

Pageant | Student aspires to uplift self-esteem with future documentary

MeMorial | Alum’s photos change viewers’ impressions of Afghanistan

from page 23

platform partner, which is dedicated to raising money for children’s hospitals. She also participated in events with the United Service Organizations Wounded Warriors, which honors and empowers injured servicemen.

“I saw one little baby that weighed one pound,” she said. “Its arm was as long as my pinky finger. I’d never seen a baby so small! Some people worry about losing one pound; that’s this whole baby.”

Furthermore, with the support of Chris Peace, the vice chair of Virgin-ia’s General Assembly Commission on Youth, she will speak before the  com-mission on youth issues and possible actions, in hopes that the comission will develop a research plan.

“Service is my greatest passion in life,” Uze said, adding that JMU’s service-ori-ented community environment gave her many opportunities to further her service work. At JMU, Uze served as the service chair for the Phi Sigma Pi honors

fraternity.The vivacity of the sick children she

saw also inspired her.“Illness doesn’t define what you’re

capable of,” she said.Uze recalled a car wash Phi Sigma Pi

held during her freshman year. She was supposed to wear a bathing suit. At that time, Uze says she was 30 pounds heavier and she could not bring herself to wear a bathing suit.

“I was too self-conscious. Now I’m strutting across a stage on state-wide television,” she said.

When she returns to JMU next year, Uze hopes to create a documentary about self-esteem stories.

JMU graduate and former Miss Virgin-ia Chinah Helmandollar crowned Uze, who said she was shocked.

“I don’t remember being crowned,” she said, due to her disbelief.

During her sophomore year, Uze’s first pageant experience was running for Miss Arlington. Since contestants may com-pete in any local pageant, regardless of

hometown, Uze was later able to become Miss Greater Richmond.

Also competing from JMU was Elissa Taylor, a senior double majoring in musi-cal theatre and communication. She ran as Miss Tidewater-Peninsula and pro-moted her platform “Juvenile Diabetes Awareness and Support.” After struggling with diabetes for 20 years, she said she wanted to inspire diabetics and others dealing with illnesses.

“When I was diagnosed, they told my parents I would die or have brain dam-age,” she said.

The most important part of the com-petition for her was not the possibility of winning, but the ability to have her voice heard. Of Uze, Taylor said she was “genuine” and “had all the qualities Miss America should have.”

Said Uze: “I want to give young people empowerment.”

ContaCt Caitlin Hawes at hawescm@dukes.jmu.edu.

Senior Caitlin Uze said she couldn’t believe she won the Miss Virginia crown. She was one of a number of JMU students to compete in the pageant over the summer.

Photo courteSy of Wendi GruninGer

For photos of Brian Carderelli’s life and work, visit breezejmu.org

Photo courteSy of J.d. PAtton