wrote Friday.<\/a> \u201cShe touched so many lives through her friendly smile, leadership, kindness and the love she shared with those around her.<\/p>\n\u201cHer presence will be deeply missed, but the impact she made on her Texan family will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with her family, our rodeo team and everyone who knew her. We will forever remember the light she brought to Tarleton State,\u201d Hurley added.<\/p>\n
Franco was well known on the Stephenville, Texas campus, roughly 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, as a Tarleton Transition Mentor, tasked with welcoming new students to the school. Instagram\/tarletonprez<\/p>\n
Franco was remembered for her friendly smile, leadership, kindness and the love she shared with those around her. Instagram\/tarletonprez<\/p>\n
Tarleton State, which has won 37 National Championship titles, had marked Franco\u2019s birthday in an Aug. 25 post.<\/p>\n
Franco\u2019s father remembered her as his \u201clight\u201d in a heartbreaking letter he shared to Facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole world loved you, my darling, and rightly so. Because you were special,\u201d Alejandro Franco wrote. \u201cYou were the light\u2026 I want you to know that I\u2019m proud to be your dad\u2026 That you were the best thing that ever happened to me. That every one of your laughs has stayed etched here, in my chest. Every long talk for hours and hours\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cForgive me if I cry, it\u2019s just that I don\u2019t know how to go on without you. But I promise you something: I will honor your life by living the way you lived, with positivity, being good to people, helping the way you used to do\u2026 I love you forever, darling. I love you beyond the sky, beyond everything\u2026 Wait for me with your smile. One day we\u2019ll hug again\u2026,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Franco\u2019s father remembered his daughter as his \u201clight\u201d in a heartbreaking letter he shared to Facebook. Instagram\/tarletonprez<\/p>\n
Franco was also a member of the Escaramuza Charra El Gran Chaparral, a renowned women\u2019s equestrian team based in her native Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith deep sorrow, we express our most sincere condolences to the family of our companion (teammate) Alejandra Franco. We wholeheartedly wish that you find the strength and comfort in these moments of pain. May she rest in peace, the team wrote in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n
Additional tributes poured in for Franco by her friends and teammates with the phrase and hashtag \u201cLive Like Ale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paying tribute to Franco, the SRSU Rodeo team announced it would hand out purple ribbons and called on attendees at Friday night\u2019s show to wear the Tarleton State color.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight a rodeo family is carrying a heavy heart,\u201d\u00a0an announcer at Friday\u2019s show said, according to WFAA. \u201cIf one of us hurts, we all hurt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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