Kate Ginger ’27, a neuroscience major from Fairhope, Alabama, died on Nov. 28, 2025, from complications with her cancer treatment, according to her mother Sherri Ginger. She was 20.
Friends, classmates and family described Ginger as an artist and organizer who threw herself into Dartmouth life through dance, writing, outdoor work and student leadership. Those who spoke about her said she was known for noticing details and for a direct, grounded way of showing care that made people feel seen.
Ginger was involved in a range of campus groups and activities, including the Sugarplum dance group, First-Year Trips, Spare Rib magazine and The Dartmouth. She also woke up for 8 a.m. Organic Farm work days, worked for summer outdoor rentals and served on the Sexual Violence Prevention Project student advisory board.
Sherri Ginger said her daughter had a habit of paying attention to small moments and making things by hand. She recalled Ginger folding origami animals, laminating pressed flowers, decorating charcuterie boards and writing cursive, handwritten letters to friends. Sherri Ginger wrote that her daughter “knew how to be in the moment.”
“She was playful, goofy and unabashed,” Sherri Ginger wrote. “She hung out near the kitchen, spinning, jumping, handstanding and partner posing with Lee for fun and laughs.”
Dance was a central part of Ginger’s life, according to her mother and friends. Sherri Ginger wrote that Ginger danced with a ballet company in Mobile, Alabama, before coming to Dartmouth, where she danced and choreographed with Sugarplum.
“She found freedom in moving through the pathos, passion and joy,” Sherri Ginger wrote.
Natalia Schmitter-Emerson ’26, a Sugarplum member and friend, said Ginger’s dancing had both technique and “a natural resonance with the music.”
“She really felt the music because she felt things very deeply in general,” Schmitter-Emerson said. “She made her emotions a gift that she shared with others.”
Sherri Ginger shared a memory from her daughter’s earlier dance training, writing that when she pointed out Ginger was half a second behind the other dancers, Ginger responded: “They’re half a second too fast.” Sherri Ginger wrote that the comment reflected how confident and connected her daughter was to her artistry.
Sugarplum co-director Annabella Wu ’26 said she will “always remember” Ginger’s audition. Wu said there was a “huge explosion of cheers” when group members learned Ginger would join Sugarplum, which Wu described as “very rare.”
“I think I cried,” Wu said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we get to have her!’ She was just that great of a dancer, and an even better person once we got to know her.”
Wu said Ginger’s choreography brought a distinctive skill set to the group, describing the challenge of setting creative movement on dancers with different abilities and learning speeds.
“Some people just have that skill. They’re able to feel the music in a different way,” Wu said.
According to Wu, Ginger was elected to be the sole junior co-director this year. Wu also said Ginger served as director for Splenda, a summer dance group, during her sophomore summer.
Sophie Xu ’27, who danced and choreographed with Ginger in Sugarplum and Splenda, described Ginger as an “artistic genius” in an email statement. Xu wrote that Ginger was “not only the logistic backbone of every dance, practice and social event,” but also that she filled Splenda with “her unique Kate-branded whimsey.”
Yuri Naidu ’27 said he joined Splenda last summer because of Ginger’s encouragement, despite having no previous dance experience. He said Ginger was “non-judgemental and honest” when teaching him.
“She pushes you out of your comfort zone, but she’s always there every step of the way,” Naidu said. “Whenever you need her, she’s there.”
Naidu added that Ginger’s leadership helped make the group more inclusive.
“She had a way of bringing people together,” Naidu said.
In addition to dance, friends and family described Ginger as a prolific writer. She shared creative work through Spare Rib and wrote for The Dartmouth’s news section.
“Kate felt the world,” Sherri Ginger wrote. “In her journalism and creative writing she shined a light and advocated for the unheard, un-noticed voices.”
Zoe Manning ’27 said Ginger often asked her to read her Spare Rib pieces, which Manning said focused on gender. Manning said Ginger’s writing “captured girlhood in a way that was raw.”
“It’s the messiness of it,” Manning said. “It wasn’t all good. It wasn’t rose colored, but it was real.”
Ginger’s work also connected to her interest in campus climate and student safety. Sexual Violence Prevention Project coordinator Benjamin Bradley wrote in an email statement that Ginger was the advisory board’s inaugural writing fellow, a position Bradley said she helped create. Bradley also wrote that in October 2025 Ginger wrote a “moving” piece for the Student Wellness Center blog that “advocates for inclusive and empowering spaces where everybody is treated with dignity and respect.”
“Kate believed that everyone had a role in preventing sexual violence, and her words exemplify her leadership, courage and passion for writing,” Bradley wrote.
Outside of campus organizations, Sherri Ginger wrote that her daughter loved to travel. During her sophomore winter, Ginger studied abroad in Barcelona in a Spanish language program and “traipsed around Europe,” according to Sherri Ginger. She also went to Puerto Rico with Liv Pyrczak ’27 and other friends in August 2025, and had plans to go to Japan, according to Sherri Ginger.
Pyrczak described Ginger as an “adventurous spirit,” and said Ginger was the first one out the door each morning on their Puerto Rico trip.
“She would get up in the morning and she would be like, ‘I’m going to the beach. You guys can meet me there,’” Pyrczak said.
Friends also connected Ginger’s sense of adventure to how she spent time in the Upper Valley. Aryanna Ram ’27 said Ginger loved being outdoors and encouraged friends to enjoy nature locally. Ram recalled making snow angels with Ginger last winter and relaxing at the river.
“She was a person that really knew how to make time for what’s important and she could really slow things down, especially when my gears were going too fast,” Ram said.
Ram said Ginger’s openness stood out early in their friendship, beginning during freshman orientation.
“She was just so open and honest, in a very natural way,” Ram said. Ram added that Ginger spoke about “real, genuine things” and that they “chatted on the docks until sunset.”
Manning said Ginger often expressed care through specific gestures. Manning recalled that Ginger made her a “giant” birthday card during their first year and said Ginger “‘wanted [Manning] to know how loved’” she is.
“She was the person who remembered the person at the grocery store’s name, or who would leave food out for a stray cat,” Manning said. “She was intentional in those small ways that I think oftentimes are forgotten and overlooked.”
Several friends described Ginger as emotionally attentive and thoughtful when giving advice. Xu wrote that Ginger’s “gentle demeanor and emotional maturity made me feel so seen throughout conflicts with family, friends and boys.” Xu added that Ginger’s support helped her try “scary things,” including having difficult conversations, setting boundaries and signing up for a heels dance class in an unfamiliar city.
Sofia Piraino ’27 said Ginger reminded her of “a feeling you get when you’re in the sun.”
“She really did have a lot of love and compassion for everyone around her,” Piraino said. “She took time to kind of get to know people, understand them in a more complete way, which I think is really beautiful.”
Pyrczak similarly said Ginger was “genuinely curious” about others.
“She didn’t just care about who people were,” Pyrczak said. “She cared about how they got to be that way.”
Friends said that curiosity also shaped how Ginger approached her academics. Naidu said Ginger engaged with neuroscience in a personal way.
“She really was making the most of her education because it made her understand so many things about herself,” Naidu said.
Ram said Ginger had planned, before her diagnosis, to work as a research assistant at American University studying the effects of psychedelics on the brain.
As friends and family remembered Ginger’s dancing, writing and attention to everyday details, they repeatedly returned to a picture of someone who brought intensity and warmth to the people and communities around her. For those closest to her, they said, that presence showed up not only in performances or published work, but also in how she asked questions, remembered answers and made time for others.
