By Christian Wells | Staff Writer
Maggie Skinner was the kind of person who made others feel like they mattered.
A junior pre-nursing student from Los Angeles, Skinner built her college experience around relationships. Friends like Flower Mound junior Isaac Points said she built friendships that were intentional, consistent and deeply rooted in care. She had a natural ability to bring people together, often through small gestures.
“She was one of the most outgoing, kind people I have ever met,” Points said.
Points’ and Skinner’s friendship began during new member education in spring 2024, where shared challenges quickly brought them together.
“We were kind of the polar opposite of each other,” Points said. “But that mutual experience of going through the hard things … really brought us close.”
From there, their friendship grew through everyday moments, the kind that now stand out the most.
“She would text you at like 10 p.m. and be like, ‘Hey, you want to go do something?’” Points said. “She was always wanting to spend time with people.”
Baylor alumnus Richie Vasquez inducted Maggie into the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and was impacted by Maggie from that experience.
“Maggie was one of the 10 I inducted into the Baylor Chamber of Commerce,” Vasquez said. “A truly unique and loving group of individuals whom I’ll never forget, and Maggie was an essential part of that.”
That intentionality, friends said, defined how Skinner lived.
“She was one of the most selfless people I have ever met,” Points said. “She would ask you to go do something or grab food, and she would always try to pay for you.”
That same selflessness also showed up in deeper, more personal ways, according to Weston, Conn., senior Julia Constantine.
“Maggie was the kind of person that wanted to take care of people and help,” Constantine said. “She wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. She was thinking about others all the time.”
Constantine recalled a time when she was sick and unable to ask for help, but Skinner stepped in without hesitation.
“She didn’t take no for an answer,” Constantine said. “She brought me honey, took my dog for a walk and cleaned up my apartment. She wanted to help me in any way.”
That attentiveness carried into Skinner’s everyday life. She paid close attention to the people around her, often remembering small details others might overlook.
“She would text you while she was at the store, saying she saw something that reminded her of you or asking if you needed something,” Constantine said.
Skinner’s goal of becoming a nurse reflected that same desire to care for others. Points said her drive and work ethic were just as strong as her compassion.
“She was one of the hardest workers I knew,” Points said. “But at the same time, her main focus was on her relationships. She really loved her friends and her family.”
Since her passing Dec. 18, 2025, friends said her absence is felt most in everyday moments, the conversations that no longer happen and in the presence that once brought comfort.
Maggie’s longtime friend, Bailey Benavides, remembers Maggie from the happy stories and is thankful for having her in her life.
“I am so grateful to have known Maggie and her light,” Benavides said. “My favorite memory is when she found a stray kitten in a tree and needed a place to take care of it … Maggie’s care for creatures big and small showed me just how much love she had to give.”
Still, her impact on her friends continues.
“I’ve taken a lot of time to pay attention and take care of people,” Constantine said. “Maggie made me a happier person … and I want to show others that they can open up, too.”
For Points, that influence has changed how he sees others.
“I want people to know that their life has meaning,” he said.
As the Baylor community remembers Maggie Skinner, her friends said her legacy is rooted in something simple but lasting.
“She loved people more than she loved herself,” Points said.
Maggie’s impact extended beyond her friends and into her family, who said her presence brought a lasting sense of joy and connection to those around her.
“Maggie brought joy wherever she went,” Maggie’s parents said over text. “She had a beautiful smile that could brighten any room and the sweetest laugh. You could often find her off by herself reading or watching something, quietly giggling, which is a memory we will always hold close.”
Maggie’s parents, Jennifer and Matthew Skinner, said in a text to The Lariat that she was someone who consistently put others first, often expressing her care through thoughtful planning and small acts of kindness. They said her independence was just as evident as her compassion.
“She rarely asked for help because she was so independent and driven to make her own way,” they said via text.
As they reflect on her life, the Skinners hope the Baylor community remembers the qualities that defined her.
“She had a way of making her friends feel special and, to a fault, often put their needs before her own,” Skinner’s parents said.
Her time at Baylor was especially meaningful. But above all, her family said they want people to understand the impact she had. They said the support they’ve received has revealed just how far her impact reached.
“The outpouring of love, support, and stories shared with our family has been incredibly heartwarming,” they said. “Hearing about the lasting memories she left with countless people in her short twenty years has meant so much to our family and let us know just how much she meant to so many.”
And in that love, her life continues — in the way she cared, the way she showed up and the way she made others feel.
Baylor provides resources for students facing personal or emotional challenges, including support through its Title IX Office and Counseling Center. The Title IX Office offers reporting options and assistance to students experiencing harassment or misconduct, while campus counseling services provide mental health support and suicide prevention resources.
