CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A beloved graduate of the Chattanooga School of Arts and Science and UTC was honored Sunday evening.
According to police reports, Sania Khan was murdered in Chicago last week by her ex-husband.
To honor Khan, a candlelight vigil was held and everyone wore red since it was her favorite color.
The wave of red filled the outside of CSAS. Memories were shared, Khan's favorite songs were played and tears were shed.
“Sania was the loudest and brightest personality in the room. She was friends with everybody rather they knew it or not. She saw the brightest and best in everybody and saw the good in every situation,” Grant Moore said.
Grant Moore was one of Sania Khan's best friends since the age of 14.
Moore said not only was she one of his biggest supporters, but everybody's biggest supporter. Anytime he had a tough decision to make in life, he would always run it by Khan.
"To not have that kind of support going on with big life decisions anymore, not to share those moments with her and just to have that radiant positive energy feedback into me – that is where I am going to feel her absence the most,” Moore said.
Moore said since her passing it's clear what kind of impact she had on this community and across the country
“Anyone who was up close, an acquaintance, talked to her once for maybe an hour, one weekend, a couple days ago or a couple years ago feels the loss,” Moore said.
Not only did she touch people's lives on a personal level, but she also did it through her camera lens as a photographer.
“She was great at telling people's stories. She helped people find this confidence in themselves that they may not have had with her. Wedding portraits, self-portraits, sometimes she would do portraits of people just for fun and did not have to have a rhyme or reason to it,” Kierstyn Parker said.
Kierstyn Parker was a good friend of Khan.
They met back in 2015 when joining UTC's Omega Phi Alpha sorority after graduation Parker said their bond became even stronger.
“I think what I will miss the most is having one of the most supportive and encouraging friends to call. I am going to miss the confidence she inspired in so many people. I am honestly going to miss her work and getting to hear all that she's experienced and getting to share about the world with other people,” Parker said.
A scholarship was also created to honor Khan.
The Sania Khan Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a female graduate of CSAS that has a desire to pursue an education in fine arts through the UT system.
