Those who knew Alexis Antoinette Emmou were moved by her selfless spirit, charming demeanor and encouraging attitude.
An Aggie through and through, Alexis Emmou cherished selflessness above all. Dianna Emmou, Alexis Emmou’s mother, said no matter who you were, where you were from, or whether or not you had money, Alexis Emmou would welcome you with open arms.
“She was always happy, positive and willing to help,” Dianna Emmou said. “She was an encouragement for me, even. She was my best friend. Everyone always says that about their loved ones, but truly, she had such a huge heart.”
At Alexis Emmou’s memorial service, several people approached Dianna Emmou to tell her stories about her daughter’s willingness to put others before herself. Dianna Emmou remembers how one man who had only briefly met Alexis approached her and recounted how Alexis Emmou ran back to his car just to say “thank you” for giving her a ride.
A communication major, Alexis Emmou worked for ESPNU, 12th Man Productions and the SEC Network. Alexis Emmou also loved to travel, read and write.
“She was always reading, always writing,” Dianna Emmou said. “Her favorite place she ever traveled to was probably England. She went to London with a focus group her freshman year and loved it. Paris, too. We took her there when she was a little girl.”
Tyra Preston, friend of Alexis Emmou, said Alexis Emmou’s spontaneity was one of the many reasons she was loved by so many people.
“One time she told me that she wanted to learn to skateboard,” Preston said. “I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ Next day, she went out and bought a skateboard. Whatever it was, she was going to make it happen.”
Ray Crockett II, a friend of Alexis Emmou, said Alexis Emmou was open minded and offered constant encouragement during a difficult time in his life.
“I was talking to her about how I did bad in school my freshman year,” Crockett said. “I played football and I got ruled ineligible. I’ll never forget, she responded, ‘Well that’s the good thing about the past, it’s the past. If you don’t let it define you, you’re unstoppable.’ It was good to know somebody had my back. I needed to hear that at that moment. All my friends didn’t really stick around after I didn’t play football anymore.”
Crockett said you didn’t have to know Alexis Emmou for her to have an impact on you.
“I never got those countless hours with her like the people who went to school with her did,” Crockett said. “But my time with her was the start of a really good friendship. It was her perspective. Her outlook. She saw the good in people. I was telling things to her that other people would have seen as a red flag… But she listened.”
Dianna Emmou said her favorite memory with Alexis Emmou was when it rained on Alexis Emmou’s Ring Day in September 2014. Despite the rain, she maintained the positive attitude she was known for.
“As we began to walk up to the Alumni Center, the rain began,” Dianna Emmou said. “Alexis looked so beautiful and since this was her big day, her brother, sister and myself took whatever we had to give her to keep her dry for her big moment … We finally made it inside and the three of us were soaked to the core, but Alexis looked radiant.”
Preston said what she learned most from her close friendship with Alexis Emmou was to always give, without expecting anything in return.
“She taught me how to live. That pretty much sums it up,” Preston said. “The way she lived almost stress-free. Just being who she was impacted me in so many ways. She inspired me to be a better person, a better friend. Life with her was my favorite memory of her.”
