The portrait taken for Maison Moderne's official website of former Delano intern Audrey Davis, who passed away on 26 December ( Photo : Maison Moderne )

The portrait taken for Maison Moderne's official website of former Delano intern Audrey Davis, who passed away on 26 December ( Photo : Maison Moderne )

Audrey died of natural causes while she was babysitting two young children, according to The Miami Student (TMS), the Miami University newspaper where Audrey served as a managing student editor.

The Miami University senior was entering her final semester, set to graduate with a double major in journalism and history.

As part of her studies, she attended a semester in 2017 at the Miami University Dolibois Center in Differdange, during which time she travelled to 15 countries in four months. After the semester, she moved from Bettembourg to Luxembourg City to take part in a summer internship programme at Delano from May-July 2017. Her internship in Luxembourg culminated in a presentation before a jury comprised of students and Miami University partner companies, for which she received very positive feedback.

During her internship at Delano, she impressed the team with her creative story ideas, whether it was a contemplative walk through the city centre or participating in an upcycling workshop. She was especially passionate about new media and podcasts, inviting the team to take part in her Snapchat stream back to the US and developing, on her own initiative, a workshop for the staff on developing podcasts, plus a list of her favourite podcasts and tools. 

“We've always had excellent interns at Delano, but Audrey was particularly memorable because of what she taught us,” said Jess Bauldry, Delano journalist. “She was deeply interested in podcast production and gave us a crash course in how to make them. I got hooked on podcasts thanks to her recommendations. She was generous with her time and knowledge, had an excellent news sense and was generally a lovely colleague.”

Over team lunches, Delano staff also got to know a personal side of Audrey as well. “As a fellow Ohioan, I felt a certain connection with Audrey when I met her,” said Natalie Gerhardstein, Delano journalist. “She spoke so warmly of her family back home, especially about visiting baseball parks with her younger brother, Johnny, and always with a contagious smile. It was an honour working together with her.”

Delano desk editor Aaron Grunwald, who was in charge of the publication in the absence of editor-in-chief Duncan Roberts during Audrey's internship, said: "It was a pleasure working with Audrey and I wish we had had more time together."

Following her passing, friends left messages of condolences on her Facebook page, recalling her wonderful sense of humour, her love of reading and good coffee, and memories at Camp Joy, where Audrey worked as a head counselor during the summers. The camp serves children in difficult situations, whether due to medical conditions, low-income households, etc.

Audrey’s memorial service takes place in her hometown on 5 January. In lieu of flowers, her family has asked that donations be made to Camp Joy.