Jayden T. Gillespie

Message from the President

Jan. 28, 2022

Dear LMU Community:

I am saddened to share that Jayden T. Gillespie, a senior film and television production major, died on Jan. 23, 2022. He was 22 years old.

Jayden was a member of The Learning Community (TLC), the Black Student Union, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and worked in the Student Affairs Dean's Office. He was also a promising filmmaker, who made videos for the university, including Black Student Services, Ethnic and Intercultural Services, Intercultural Programs and Initiatives, and Jewish Student Life. In 2020, Jayden founded Uni-Colors Entertainment, a production company specializing in narrative films and music videos. His passion for storytelling was exemplified in his short films. In 2017, while in high school, Jayden was chosen as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. 

Student Psychological Services, Community of Care, and the Dean of Students are available to speak with students who seek support through this tragedy.

Information about memorial services will be shared as soon as they are available. We will remember Jayden with a plaque bearing his name at our student memorial,
Ad Astra per Aspera.

Please keep Jayden, his sister, Morgan, an LMU senior in sociology, their parents, Lisa and Robert, M.D., and his many friends in your prayers.

Sincerely,

Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D.
President