On the eve of Ariana Grande’s Manchester show, 18-year-old Georgina Callander tweeted at the pop star: “So excited to see u tomorrow.” A day later the teen was killed along with 21 others in a bomb attack targeting concertgoers.
The bombing hit fans as they were leaving the Manchester Arena Monday night following the pop star’s final song.
Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy confirmed to CNN that Callander, who attended the school between the ages of 11 and 16, was among the dead.
“The family called us at around 10 o’clock this morning to tell us the news,” Peter Rawlinson, deputy headteacher at Bishop Rawstorne, told CNN.
“Georgina was a lovely young student who was very popular with her peers and the staff and always made the most of the opportunities she had at the school,” the school said in a statement.
Runshaw College in Leyland, Lancashire, where Callander was in her second year studying Health and Social Care, also released a statement on Facebook.
“It is with enormous sadness that it appears that one of the people who lost their lives in Monday’s Manchester attack was one of our students here at Runshaw College,” Runshaw College said.
“Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to all of Georgina’s friends, family, and all of those affected by this loss,” the statement read.
‘I hugged her so tight’
Callander had posted a number of tweets in the lead up to the concert on Monday, expressing her excitement about the event. The teen had previously seen the pop star in a 2015 concert and had shared photos on her Instagram account, posing with Grande.
“SHE WAS SO CUTE ANS LOVLEY I HUGGED HER SO TIGHT AND SHE SAID SHE LOVED MY BOW I CANT GET OVER THIS I NEVER WILL,” Callander said in the post.
As news of Callander’s death began to spread on Tuesday morning, friends shared their condolences on social media.
“Rest in peace Gina. I love you so incredibly much, you deserved the world & more I’m so lucky to have met you and known you,” Liana Sarfati said in a tweet, sharing photos from events they had attended together.
“To my beautiful best friend I hope you rest in peace my darling. I love you so much and will always miss you,” Sophie Marsh, who was Callander’s classmate, said in a post on Twitter.
Marsh shared a photo of Callander smiling with friends.
By Tuesday afternoon, Callander’s Facebook profile had been changed to a remembrance page. Photos showed a fun-loving teenager who liked pop groups like One Direction and Fifth Harmony.
Lukas Cutforth and Dodie Clark, two British YouTube stars created a memorial fund for Callander’s family on GoFundMe “to help towards the funeral and memorial costs.” Neither Cutforth nor Clark knew Callander. The page had raised more than £3,000 at the time of writing.
