Cara Loughran

Cara Marie Loughran, a fun-loving, generous and caring young girl, radiated with positivity and always carried a bright smile on her face everywhere she went. Although often timid and quiet, Cara always had something nice to say about others and about life. She looked forward to experiencing everything the world had to offer her and always made friends wherever she went.

“She was just a happy, happy person. She enjoyed life. And she walked into the room, and always just lit everybody up,”

Cara’s mother Denise Loughran said.

Cara was born on Feb. 21, 2003 in Boca Raton, Florida to Denise and Damian Loughran. She was in her freshman year of high school and was almost 15 years old. Despite being so young, she touched the lives of many people throughout her life. Her friends and family say she had a very memorable, cheery personality, as she was always trying to make others happy and convince them to join her on her next adventure.

“She did not have a mean bone in her body,” freshman Mackenzie Mirsky said.

“She would always light up the room, put a smile on everyone’s faces and laugh at the silliest things.”

Most of her friends loved how naturally happy she was, as her smile brought joy to all those she met. There was rarely a day when Cara did not smile. Her laugh was contagious; she could make anyone around her happy within seconds, which is what her friends and family remember about her the most.

“Her smile lit up the room, her giggles were contagious, and her presence brought us so much joy,” freshman Madison Mirsky said. “Anyone that knew her will cherish her forever.”

Cara was always a very happy, upbeat person, but the thing that made her the happiest was her unique passion: Irish dancing. She was very in tune with her Irish heritage. The family regularly took visits to Ireland to visit Cara’s grandparents, Paddy and Ellie Loughran. Several Irish dance schools around the country have shown their support for Cara by wearing purple ribbons in her honor, posting pictures of the dancers on social media.

Cara was an elegant dancer who studied at the Drake School of Irish Dance in Coral Springs. She danced at a different location years before, but decided to take it up again after seeing “Riverdance,” a theatrical show featuring Irish dancing.

After that, she persuaded two of her friends to join her and spread her passion to them. She would continuously dance; even when she made a mistake, she would just laugh it off and keep on smiling.

“She would always be on the side practicing, I don’t think I ever saw her sit down.” Irish dance teacher Christina Descy. “I really loved that about her, she was really determined and dedicated.”

After gracefully dancing at the studio, she would head over to gymnastics training where she would practice her flips and other tricks, looking up to Olympic gymnasts like Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman. She was a girl of many talents, and these skills continued in the classroom.

Cara loved school and was fascinated by learning, especially in English and history. As a history buff, she she was fascinated with World War II and found the Holocaust the most interesting, in addition to life science. Cara did very well in all her classes and was always willing to help a confused classmate or work on a project with her friends. She liked reading and interacting in her English class, where she often contributed greatly to classroom discussions.

As an honor roll student, Cara was extremely intelligent and won academic awards in middle school. She knew when it was a good time to be serious and when it was okay to joke around during class. Her sharp focus in class continued after school in the extracurricular organizations she participated in. She was a passionate member of the Best Buddies Club and the Key Club and hoped to become more involved in them as she got older. The Best Buddies Club continues to take 17 seconds of silence every meeting to remember Cara and the other lost members of the club.

“Cara was always smiling and had a positive attitude,” English teacher Brittany Sinitch said. “She was caring, demonstrated empathy and was full of so much life. I will always remember her beautiful smile.”

She was the type of person who was able to start a conversation with anyone. In school, even if she was not close with the person sitting next to her, she would have discussions about what they were learning and spark new friendships.

When with her friends, she liked to joke around, tell funny stories and laugh. She also liked being creative and doing crafts, decorating everything with her favorite colors, turquoise and purple. She and her friends loved to participate in DIY projects like tie-dying shirts. However, she liked to spend most of her time with her friends outside in the sun. She was always looking for something new to try and an adventure to embark on.

She always found an adventure at the beach, which was her favorite place to be, according to her mother. Cara began swimming before she turned 1 year old and instantly fell in love with it. Even though she was not on the swim team, she loved being in and near the water. She would surf, play and bask in the sun for hours on end at the beach all year.

When she wasn’t out and about seeking adventure, she was at home indulging in D.C. Comics television shows with her friends, such as her favorite, “The Flash,” which she watched every week. She loved Disney and Marvel movies and was hoping to receive the “Thor: Ragnarok” movie for her birthday. In addition to her adoration of superhero films, she had a secret admiration for the new movie musical, “The Greatest Showman.” As birthday celebrations, her and her friends would often go see newly released movies.

As a child, she loved family trips to Disney World and exploring the fantastical worlds the characters lived in. While this passion faded with age, her adoration of mermaids persisted.

“Last summer we were at the beach, and her friend and her brother buried her like a mermaid...” Denise Loughran said. “She thought that was great. She just loved being near the water.”

Her bubbly personality reflected her upbeat taste in music. She enjoyed jamming out to a mixture of pop, country and Disney music while eating candy and other sweets. Her meal of choice was always something Italian, particularly pasta and pizza.

“She wasn’t a person who had any strong feelings towards one thing,” freshman Navya Nair said. “She liked almost anything.”

Cara and her family attended Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, where she was confirmed and volunteered with the religious education classes every Monday. She would photocopy papers, help the instructor and sometimes even teach the class with her fellow volunteers.

“In class Cara and I would go up in front of the class and teach a lesson or talk about an important Saint,” freshman Samantha Husar said. “One time in class, our teacher was sick, so we had to teach a lesson, and she was very help and always there for the kids.”

Cara had many goals in life, including going to college, getting a job and having a family, although she was never quite sure of what she wanted to be when she grew up. She was a big dreamer, who wanted great things to come from the world.

Cara wanted to help make the world a better place through whatever career she decided to pursue.

These virtues were instilled by her loving family whom she spent a lot of time with. She was a very family-oriented person who especially enjoyed caring for her younger cousins. The close-knit family took frequent trips to the beach and pool and vacations each summer. Despite their three year age difference, her and her brother, senior Liam Loughran, had a strong bond and rarely fought. Her friends said that they would always liked to hang out and be around each other.

Cara left a significant impact on so many people. Her smile and laugh will forever be in everyone’s memory. Those in her life feel an emptiness without her, and she is greatly missed. Her friends’ and family’s memories of her beautiful smile and charismatic personality will never be forgotten. Her seat in her classes may not be there anymore, but her place in our hearts will never be replaced.

Story by Mackenzie Quinn; photos courtesy of Denise Loughran, Ella Singer, Preethika Praveen and Lexie Sealy