Former University law student Kjersti Berg Sand is confirmed as one of the 76 people killed in the July 22 bomb attack in Central Norway and shooting rampage on Utoya Island.
Sand, 26, attended the University’s School of Law as an exchange student from Norway during the 2009-10 school year, where she focused on child abduction cases resulting from situations of domestic violence.
An active member of the law school community, Sand had originally planned to study at Oregon for one semester, but chose to extend her stay the rest of the year, said friend and fellow exchange student Camille Lafage.
Sand then returned to her home country to work as an executive officer at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, where she continued her work on child abduction in addition to issues of arbitration and mediation. She graduated as a lawyer from the University of Oslo in 2010.
“We have lost a dear and highly valued employee,” ministry officials wrote in a public statement obtained by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. “This is a tremendous loss both professionally and personally to the Ministry and for its colleagues … she will be sorely missed.”
Described by Lafage as an extroverted outdoor enthusiast who loved to travel, Sand was also very open-minded, seeking out other students with different backgrounds and nationalities.
“She was a very sweet and kind person,” Lafage said. “She had a great smile.”