Through laughter and tears, friends and family placed roses on the rock in Ausman’s memory and shared stories of a life that many said ended far too soon.

Ausman’s mother, Renee Wauldron, said the gathering helped her cope with the loss of her son.

“I have to celebrate his life now, because that’s all I have,” Wauldron said of her son, a 22-year-old interdisciplinary studies in social science and international studies senior.

“I am so proud of my son and I love him so much, and that will make my heart smile when I think of him, every minute of every hour of every day, every step I take.”

Ausman was found dead in his Spartan Village apartment the morning of Jan. 28. An autopsy performed the next day was inconclusive and medical examiners are waiting for further test results to determine what caused Ausman’s death.

Wauldron said her son was determined to spend his life helping others less fortunate than him, a goal evidenced by the humanitarian work Ausman did all over the globe. Wauldron said spreading HIV/AIDS awareness was her son’s great passion.

Ausman had been interested in the cause since he traveled to Ghana to do volunteer work. Wauldron didn’t realize the extent of Ausman’s passion for helping others until the days following his death.

“He was the type of person who wouldn’t brag, and kept to himself and wouldn’t pat himself on the back,” she said.

Ausman traveled to Mexico last year as a member of an Alternative Spring Break, or ASB, group, where he helped paint elementary schools in an impoverished area.

Alicia Barajas, a special education and interdisciplinary studies senior and ASB co-chairperson, said Ausman’s passion for the program during their Mexico trip was infectious. She said Ausman also was an animal rights activist who lived as a vegan but never tried to push his beliefs on others.

“He could tell you exactly why he believed what he did and never judged anyone who didn’t think the same way,” Barajas said. “He could tell you why he didn’t eat meat, but it didn’t bother him that you did.”

A picture of Ausman hangs on the door of Amber Arashiro’s office at the Office of International Students and Scholars. Arashiro, an international student adviser, said Ausman was one of her most dedicated, dependable and positive volunteers who helped international students adjust to life in the U.S.

“Don was a great inspiration to everyone who met him, even if they only had a few encounters,” Arashiro said. “We were touched by his passion for others.”

Political science and pre-law senior Jen Segal met Ausman during their freshman year at MSU, and the pair became close during their ASB trip to Mexico. Segal said she always counted on Ausman’s optimism to get her through rough days.

“Don always saw the positive in every situation, no matter what it was,” Segal said. “Don would always help me see that the glass wasn’t half-full or half-empty, he would just drink from the glass.”

The last time Wauldron saw her son was during winter break, when he visited her home in Florida for 10 days. During the visit, Wauldron learned more about her son’s volunteerism and other passions, such as long-distance running.

While Wauldron said she was impressed by her son’s extensive to-do list — which included a trip to New Orleans to spread HIV/AIDS awareness and rebuild areas affected by Hurricane Katrina — her motherly instinct made her want to keep him closer to home.

“I just thought ‘why don’t you just stay in the states and be normal?’” she said, laughing. “But he wanted to be his own person and I didn’t want to guilt him into staying and stand in the way.”

Ausman’s passion for disco and techno music was a memorable aspect of his personality, friends said.

Segal said Ausman would frequently persuade her to dance in public and recounted a time, after a Neon Tuesday at Mac’s Bar, when she and Ausman nearly drained their car battery dancing in the parking lot to disco songs.

Wauldron said the worst thing she has had to deal with since her son’s passing is not knowing how he died. She trusts that investigators will do a thorough job, and waits with a heavy heart to hear results.

“(It’s) breaking my heart apart,” Wauldron said. “In a way, a parent doesn’t want to know … but you do at the same time, just for closure.”