Sara Medina was remembered last week as a tough girl with tremendous intellect and potential

Sara Medina was remembered last week as a tough girl with tremendous intellect and potential.

The U.S. Marine corporal and 2010 East Aurora High School graduate was doing something she wanted to do — serve her country — when a helicopter she was riding in crashed in Nepal earlier this month.

Medina was among eight people killed when the copter crashed in the mountains northeast of Kathmandu while on a Marine relief mission delivering rice and tarps to areas hit hardest by a devastating earthquake that struck earlier this month.

East Aurora High School teacher Grace Millar-Laxton had Medina in her ESL class as a freshman and sophomore.

“I just knew something about Sara. If you’ve been in the teaching game for a while, you can spot it,” Millar-Laxton said. “Sara was the kind of girl who was up for a challenge and I saw that early on.”

Millar-Laxton saw Medina change from a very fresh freshman to a very serious student with big goals.   At East Aurora High School, she was a member of NJROTC. During high school, she also did clerical work in a mechanic shop, but didn’t hesitate to get in and change oil or fix mufflers, said East Aurora High School teacher Obed Mendoza. Mendoza said Medina was always tough and independent.

As a senior, Medina would return to Millar-Laxton’s class to talk about her future. She mentioned she was considering enlisting in the Marines.

“She wanted to serve her country. I think she thought it was going to teach her,” Millar-Laxton said. “She was looking for the experience. She thought that would be good for.”

The helicopter had dropped supplies at its first site, and was headed to a second location when it went missing on May 12, the Marine Corps Times reported. The helicopter was recovered on May 15. The Nepalese and Indian governments participated in the search and recovery, the Department of Defense reported.

“This tragedy is a reminder of the vital but dangerous role that American service members play in delivering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Medina was serving as a combat photographer on the relief mission, documenting the work done by Marines and the need for assistance in Nepal, which has been hit by two massive earthquakes. According the Marine Corps Times, before being deployed to Nepal, Medina had photographed Marines in South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and the U.S.

After enlisting, Medina returned to her high school to talk to other Tomcats. In uniform, she visited classes to tell current students the importance of getting a good education.

In her most recent visit, she spoke to a teacher about how, through her military service, she was seeing parts of the world she had only dreamed about in high school.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner ordered all flags flown at half-staff in Medina’s honor. His office issued the following statement:

“Cpl. Sara Medina made the ultimate sacrifice while assisting the people of Nepal during their time of crisis, and her death is a loss for the State of Illinois and the nation. Cpl. Medina’s courage and dedication to serving and protecting others makes her a role model for all of us. She will never be forgotten. Diana and I extend our deepest sympathies to her family, and the families of her fellow fallen comrades, during this time of mourning.”

An online fundraising effort was under way last week to help offset costs associated with Medina’s funeral. Contributions can be made at: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/in-memory-of-cpl-sara-medina-usmc