The artistic and inspirational spirit of Kylie Park will live on at Lassonde Studios and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah with a generous gift from her family to establish the Love Every Minute of Your Life — Kylie B. Park Artist Award and the Launch Your Imagination — Kylie B. Park Memorial Scholarship.
The new awards were established through gifts totaling $125,000, including $100,000 from her parents, Ryan and Melissa Park, and a $25,000 match from the David Eccles School of Business. The money will be awarded on an annual basis to students at the University of Utah who demonstrate the same potential and similar interests as Kylie.
Kylie worked at the front desk at Lassonde Studios, the hub for student entrepreneurs and innovators at the University of Utah. She inspired countless visitors with her passion, friendship and inspirational art featured on whiteboards throughout the building. Her art showcased her unique style and inspirational quotes such as “Love Your Life. Every Minute of It.” (Jack Kerouac) and “Enjoy the Little Things for One Day You May Look Back and Realize They Were the Big Things” (Robert Brault).
She passed away in a tragic car accident in fall 2019, while heading to Zion National Park to go hiking, one of her favorite pastimes.
“We will miss Kylie beyond words, but we hope these awards in her honor will support and inspire many more students like her,” Melissa Park said. “We want these awards to make an impact in their lives and help them achieve the things that Kylie would have achieved if she was still with us.”
Kylie was born in 1999, is from Riverton, and was 20 when she passed. She was enrolled at the University of Utah from 2017-2019 and studied art and graphic design. Her family and friends, including those at Lassonde Studios, remember her sense of humor, talent for photography, and love for family, friends, and life. She also enjoyed the outdoors, cats, and wearing Vans shoes for every occasion.
While Kylie is no longer able to contribute artwork at Lassonde Studios, her final work was digitally reproduced and installed as a permanent mural. All can see it on the first floor, which is open to all students at the University of Utah and accessible to the public. The mural includes a rocket and the phrase “Launch Your Imagination.”
The Launch Your Imagination — Kylie B. Park Memorial Scholarship will be granted to support and recognize the work of creative, artistic students in the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute community. While the Launch Your Imagination — Kylie B. Park Memorial Scholarship is designated for undergraduate students, preferably creative and artistic ones like her. Both will be managed by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute in partnership with the Park family and Eccles School.
“It is an honor to work with students like Kylie and help them express themselves and grow as individuals and professionals,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the Eccles School. “With the help of this new award and scholarship, we hope to work with many more students like her. We invite all students at the University of Utah to join our community and find inspiration at Lassonde Studios.”
Learn more about scholarships and student leadership opportunities at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at lassonde.utah.edu/leadership.
Image Gallery
Here are samples of Kylie Park’s art at Lassonde Studios:
This beautiful young lady was my granddaughter. She took a piece of the family’s heart when she died. But, left many beautiful memories in its place. She was vivacious, pretty, funny and loved life. We do miss her.❤️