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“I have spoken with Lia’s family to express my heartbreak,” he wrote. “As president, and far more as a fellow parent, I ache for them. This is a profound loss that nobody should have to endure.” Smith was a decorated diver and had competed with the Middlebury team after participating in leagues throughout elementary, middle, and high school, according to her obituary. She was well-known on Middlebury’s campus, especially in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, always greeting people with a warm wave, asking questions, and spurring good conversations, said statistics lecturer Emily Malcolm-White. “Everybody knew her,” Malcolm-White, 35, said. “If you took a class with Lia, you would know it, because she had a very present energy.” This fall, Smith was one of the favorite teaching assistants in the department, guiding introductory students through coursework and helping run class. Smith not only aced her own tests but was widely recognized as a lynchpin among statistics professors, said Malcolm-White, who taught Smith in the fall of 2024. This summer, when professors were creating class schedules, several practically fought over who would get to have Smith as their TA, she said. “She wasn’t the kind of student that just floated by, she was really in there, making connections between things,” Malcolm-Smith said. Many students at Middlebury double major but usually choose contrasting studies, such as a humanities major paired with one in STEM, Malcolm-Smith said. Smith’s choice to major in two STEM fields was evidence of her deep interest in the topics, Malcolm-Smith said. Among students, particularly her fellow STEM majors, Smith was “the glue” that brought people together over homework, often collaborating and double-checking that people got the same answers, Malcolm-White added. But her interests and passions stretched far beyond academics, according to the obituary published online by her family. She loved poetry, played piano and trombone, was fascinated by the histories of China, Japan and Medieval Europe, and enjoyed outings to eat sushi and poke, the obituary said. Smith had a “deep sense of empathy,” as well as a robust and infectious laugh. In high school, Smith volunteered for various organizations and won a scholarship from the local rotary club, according to her obituary. On campus, Smith wasn’t afraid to talk with other students about her transgender identity, according to Malcolm-White. In February, as part of a panel discussion on transgender healthcare, Smith told attendees that people seeking gender-affirming care face a harsh reality of hateful rhetoric and a patchwork of laws governing treatment. But, she said at the talk, there is always a strong LGBTQ community to rely on for support. “Know that there are people in your community that are here for you and care about you,” Smith said, according to a report in the Campus, Middlebury’s student newspaper. Smith graduated from Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Atherton, Calif., where a memorial service will be held on Sunday, according to her obituary. She was an active member of Iris, an LGBTQ club at the school, according to friends who commented online. She is survived by her parents Keith Purcell and Greg Smith, and sisters Olivia and Evelyn Smith, the obituary says. Thousands have viewed the online obituary, which includes more than a hundred photos of Smith, highlighting her childhood diving accomplishments and beloved pastimes. “She enjoyed anime, adored her cat, Edgar, loved playing Bridge and complex board games, and delighted in just hanging out with her girlfriends,” the obituary says. Dozens of public comments posted online express condolences. “I will miss her silly chuckle, and the endearing niece-given name, Uncle Jeffie. I will miss those gorgeous blue eyes, that somehow always noticed you without you noticing, hidden behind her long beautiful flaxen hair. I’ll miss the multiple twist and flip dives at Stanford,” wrote Jeff Smith. Some commenters identified themselves as allies of the LGBTQ and transgender community. “I didn’t know her, I’m just from Middlebury. And I held my breath with y’all throughout this entire process, hanging on to any thread of hope that there would be another outcome,” wrote Ashly Spannbauer. “The entire state of Vermont stands with your family in this moment. I am so sorry for your unimaginable loss. As a mother, my heart breaks. As the sister of a trans woman, and as a daughter.” Even in deep blue Vermont, LGBTQ youth suffer from higher rates of suicide and self-harm compared to their cisgender and straight peers, Dana Kaplan, executive director of group Outright Vermont, said on Tuesday. The state has a stereotype as being “all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,” but on the other hand, “you have young people who are deeply struggling to feel seen and valued and loved for who they are,” he said. At Middlebury, Smith was a member of the women’s swim and diving team through February 2023, according to the team’s website. In the news article about the LGBTQ panel discussion from earlier this year, Smith was introduced as a former athlete. Beginning that month, Smith, as a transgender woman, would have been prohibited from competing on the Middlebury women’s swim and dive team, in accordance with NCAA rules released in February which limit women’s sports to people assigned female at birth. The NCAA said its new rules were implemented as a result of an executive order by President Trump. In a post on X Monday, Middlebury alumna Ari Drennen said the start of this year’s swim and dive season arrived around the time Smith went missing. Drennen, who said she identifies as trans and graduated from the college over a decade ago, noted that Smith would have been barred from competing with the women’s team this year. “Now, as the 2026 season kicks off, she’s dead. Rest in power, Lia. The world is so cruel sometimes,” the post said. Baucom announced that there will be opportunities in the coming days to gather on campus and remember Lia. “She was a gift to us and we are so grateful that she was – and will always remain – a member of our Middlebury family," Baucom said. Smith’s family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, people donate to the Prism Center for Queer and Trans Life at Middlebury College. If you or someone you know is struggling with symptoms of depression, you can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988, or chatting 988 at 988lifeline.org.
