Melissa Rasowsky, a UA alumna who graduated in 2009 with a degree in political science, worked as an intern for Gifford for two years, finishing her last day of work in Feb. 2010.

“”She (Giffords) is the most honest, dedicated, smart, political official I’ve met, and she honestly didn’t deserve this, Rasowsky said.

Zoe Reeves, 18, spoke about how she got the vigil arranged for the evening.

“”I started a Facebook event, and it accidently got a thousand RSVP’s,”” Reeves said. “”It’s wonderful that we got all this support.””

Listeners in the audience held candles, which were passed around until most had one. Many people sang and priests, rabbis, and a Native American religious group spoke at the vigil.

“”It’s more than just Facebook, or Twitter, or word-of-mouth, or a text from a friend,”” Assistant Pastor Glenn Snow, a Catholic priest, said of what brought people together that night. “”It is an ache of the loss of some good and honest people… an ache for the loss of civility.””

Jonathan Kalm, a freshman at ASU majoring in biochemistry, attended the vigil with his friends.

“”I just wanted to come together with everyone I used to work with, and people who really know her (Giffords) would see that she really was an amazing woman,”” he said.

Kalm worked as an intern for Giffords from May 2009 to May 2010.

Jeffrey Wright, a UA student majoring in economics and philosophy who interned for Giffords from May to August 2009 believed it was an “”arbitrary act of violence”” that he cannot make sense of.. has yet to realize the “”gravity”” of it [the shooting]. He said he has the “”best memories”” of the internship and the people who worked with him, and that his job there was to connect people with her.