A lawyer. A dancer. An artist. An actress.

A mother. A wife. A children's author.

A long-distance runner.

A poet. A pianist.

A pet-store owner. An astronaut.

An environmental and humanitarian activist.

A psychiatrist. A ballet teacher.

And the first woman president.

At that point, she wasn't sure how she wanted to do it, but it was clear, as many reflected Saturday, Rachel Corrie was "destined to make a difference."

About 1,800 friends, family members and area residents gathered Saturday at The Evergreen State College Recreation Center to honor Corrie during an emotional memorial service. The three-hour service included a procession of doves performance, which Corrie was involved in last year, songs, speakers, peace prayers and a moment of silence.

Corrie, 23, died March 16 when she was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Rafah.

She was a local peace activist. A student at Evergreen. A writer. A daughter. A sister. And a friend to many.

Lincoln Elementary School and Capitol High School teachers remember her as inquisitive, joyful yet serious, pushing for social justice and fairness at a young age.

"Imagine this 6-year-old coming up to me, her first-grade teacher, with her riveting presence looking me square in the eye, saying 'Donna, did you know that at recess,' and then she would proceed to explain, from her kid's point of view, what injustice was going on in the playground or in the classroom," Donna Dannenmiller said.

"And I would look down at her precious, determined face and think, this is a person who not only expects to be heard, but she is holding us teachers accountable to take action and to set things right."

Matt Grant, Corrie's high school U.S. history teacher, pointed to her ability to make others want to be better people.

"She taught me more than I taught her," Grant said through another teacher, Gayle Merkle. "She was inspiring.'

One of Corrie's many goals was to bring broad coalitions of people together. She learned Arabic and went to Gaza to help the children, and wanted Olympia and Rafah to become sister cities. She had begun setting up a pen-pal system between Olympia and Rafah children.

She had traveled to Palestinian territories as a volunteer for International Solidarity Movement, which describes itself as a Palestinian-led group that resists Israeli expansion through nonviolent means.

"She was a gentle person with a fierce determination to learn, teach, organize, build community and work for justice," Evergreen teacher Anne Fischel said.

It became clear, through her e-mail to Evergreen faculty, that her safety was in danger as bulldozers grew more aggressive and soldiers fired on her and others as they repaired a main well.

"But Rachel was living her life in connection with, in profound engagement with the people of Rafah," Fischel said. "And she was not willing to be separated from them or from what she had gained and learned from them. This is community in the most profound sense."

Stefan Villkat, her boyfriend from Sweden, met Corrie in Rafah.

"The murder of Rachel made me feel that I didn't want to live any more," he said. "I had enough.

"But then I thought of her, of her dedication and I felt that I have to stay here for her."

Through the tears and grief, there were moments of laughter that echoed through the gymnasium.

"One thing she never liked at all is when people idealized her, when people made her out to be something she wasn't," said her friend, Colin Reese. "Lest I be accused of that by her now, I just want to say right off the point, she was the messiest girl I've ever known.

Through the speeches and memories shared Saturday, it was clear Corrie had touched many lives in her 23 years.

"I care about Rachel's mission and her desire to see a wrong and work to correct it," Merkle said. "But in a selfish way, I want her still here so I can be the recipient of one her impish smiles and her insightful, powerful poems.

"Thank you, Rachel, for making such an impact on my life."

Deana Poole covers Olympia for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-704-6869 or dpoole@olympia.gannett.com.