Exuberant chemistry student at Indiana University died in Malaysia jet crash

In Indiana Universitys classrooms, Karlijn Keijzer was known as an intellectual doctoral chemistry student from the Netherlands, who spent long days testing anti-cancer and Alzheimers drugs. In campus sports, she was a feisty and formidable athlete who spent long mornings on the rowing team.

But she will always be remembered by her friends for one long festive night when she showed up to a costume party dressed as a giant piece of corn.

The 25-year-old student who was back in the Netherlands just for the summer and planned to return to Bloomington in the fall was killed along with the 297 other passengers when their Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Ukraine.

Keijzers boyfriend was also on the plane: Laurens van der Graaff. He was a 29-year-old teacher. Friends said theyd been dating just a year and were madly in love. Photographs online and on Facebook show a young, good-looking couple laughing together, arms around one another, blue eyes glowing.

President Obama said Friday that at least one U.S. citizen was killed in the crash: Quinn Lucas Schansman. The victims included 189 Dutch citizens, 44 from Malaysia and 27 from Australia. Other nationalities were represented in smaller numbers: 12 Indonesians, nine from Britain, four from Germany, one from Canada.

Keijzer, who was a straight A student and IU teaching assistant, loved the Midwest, said Alex Burkle, a former teammate who described Keijzer as having a hard-working but fun-loving personality.

She would sometimes lose things in translation even rowing commands which would make for fun practices. But she was the type of person who seemed to be just relishing learning everything she could about America, she said weeping as she spoke in a phone interview. To her, life was a huge adventure.

Catherine Campbell, Keijzers former roommate and rowing teammate, mourned her on Facebook. You challenged me to be an excellent rower (even when you complained about 6 am workouts) and a lover of life, Campbell posted. You didnt understand Football but, thats ok...I loved blasting Mike Posners Bow Chicka Wow Wow and singing loud for all to hear in Big Bird. You relentlessly pursued happiness and found it everyday.

Keijzers hometown was Almelo, Netherlands, about 90 miles east of Amsterdam, according to her Facebook page. In Bloomington, she was a member of the womens rowing team for just one year but made a big impression.

Jaclyn Riedel, 24, who was at times Keijzers rowing partner, said her teammates were so touched by her interest in them that they decided to take an interest in her.

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Exuberant chemistry student at Indiana University died in Malaysia jet crash