In Loving Memory of Atahan Kiliccote

Atahan was curious, enjoyed reading, fencing, traveling and hanging out with his friends, playing video and board games. He loved the outdoors, especially hiking, watching birds and more recently, bouldering. He read mostly non-fiction, especially history. He also enjoyed science fiction and fantasy such as the Lord of the Ring series. His favorite movie growing up was the Road to Eldorado. Atahan traveled extensively and globally. He loved to learn the history and the local culture of the places he visited. He was incredibly curious and was always ready to try something new. Atahan was an activist at heart and followed his passion. He followed politics avidly and understood the human aspects of policies and their impact. He wrote for Tartan, CMU's newspaper, about politics. Atahan had a crooked smile and kind and loving eyes. He connected with people in a way that is hard to describe. He loved and was loved deeply. He reminded people around him to give themselves grace. In his absence, we’ll have to keep reminding each other. Atahan died on January 14th, 2024 when the hot air balloon he was riding crashed. He died too soon and we miss him a lot.