Leslie Sherman

Leslie G. Sherman, 20, a sophomore history major from Springfield, Va., loved running, history, foreign languages and making friends laugh.

"She was just amazing," said Deepika R. Chadive, 19, a fellow sophomore who played basketball with Ms. Sherman when the two were students at West Springfield High School. "Not only was she very good, she was very spirited," Ms. Chadive said of Ms. Sherman's skills on the court. "She was always very enthusiastic. Even if we were down 50 points, she would always give us a pat on the back."

Ms. Sherman never seemed to have "anything bad to say about anyone," Ms. Chadive said. "She was always joking around and smiling. She was always trying to make people smile."

Ms. Sherman, who was passionate about studying history even as a high school student, often took some ribbing from her friends because of her interest in the subject, Ms. Chadive said. "We used to tell her, 'It's illegal to love history as much as you do.' "

Undeterred, Ms. Sherman vowed she would become a historian someday.

She died in her French class on Monday morning.