The community is coming together to remember a recent Harris Stowe State University graduate killed in a car crash.
Hundreds gathered for a balloon release Monday to celebrate 23-year-old Qineya Dunlap's life. She had recently enrolled to receive her Master's degree.
Dunlap graduated high school from Grand Center Arts Academy. This year she got her Bachelor's Degree from Harris Stowe. Then she went back to school to take grad-level courses at Saint Louis University and Lindenwood.
Friends describe her as an inspiration.
"When my baby hugged me before she left, God told me she wasn't coming home,” said Qiana Dunlap, who thought her daughter was going to stay with a friend. “I felt it. It was like he called me and said, 'Hug her a little tighter cause she’s not, she’s not coming back… I did not literally think he meant forever."
Wednesday night, she got an alert on her phone. "The phone had detected that the car had been in a crash… I said, ‘Is this real? What is this?'"
It was on Natural Bridge Road near Interstate 70. Qineya Dunlap was driving with a friend in the car after celebrating their recent accomplishments. Police said somehow the car slid off the roadway and struck the base of a traffic light pole. Her friend survived, but Dunlap did not.
Sunday, there was a sea of pink and red balloons as those who knew her gathered outside her north city home. Many knew her from Harris Stowe State University where she graduated with a mathematics degree.
"She would say, 'Papa, can you pick me up from school?'” her grandfather Fred Dunlap affectionately recalled. "I picked her up from school from her starting school to college."
Now loved ones are clinging to the fond memories their bright light shined on all she knew.
“She really, really believed in people…She always pushed you to go for your goals and go for your dreams,” friend Trinity Hunt said.
“I'm just overwhelmed with joy. I got enough memories to last for a lifetime,” Qiana Dunlap added.
The friend who was in the car recently graduated cosmetology school.
"She does my hair. The last time we were together was for my birthday a couple of weeks ago,” Hunt added while holding back tears. “We’re really just praying.”
"They say she has a long road to recovery but she's going to make it,” Qiana Dunlap said.
Tuesday, Lindenwood University issued the following statement:
"It is with profound sadness that we share news of the passing of Qineya Dunlap, a current Lindenwood University student. Qineya was from St. Louis and pursuing an MBA in Accounting. A graduate of Harris-Stowe State University, Qineya was active in her community.
"We extend our sympathies to Qineya’s loved ones – friends, family, professors, and mentors.
"A celebration of life is scheduled for Friday, December 20 at Faith Church at Ferguson-Florissant campus. The viewing will be held at 10 a.m. with the Service at 11 a.m."