When Valarie Flores walked through the door of her apartment after class, she would often see her fraternal twin, Vivian, dancing and cooking in the kitchen.

“Whenever [our family] would all get together, she would grab my mom and just start dancing around saying ‘It’s you and me mom,’” Valarie said. “Like she would just grab you and start dancing for you.”

Vivian loved to listen to Christian music and indie songs, and she was also an avid Jonas Brothers fan. She was constantly dancing, even if music was not playing.

Vivian’s sisters say her love language was physical touch. When she wasn’t dancing with her family, she was constantly giving them hugs and hanging off them lovingly. Her older sister, Samantha Bell, could always expect a warm embrace and a kiss on the shoulder when she saw Vivian.

“She was just full of life,” Valarie said. “Her name, Vivian, means full of life, and I really think she lived up to that name.”

Vivian Flores, a senior studying animal science at Iowa State, was shot and killed on June 2 by her friend’s ex-boyfriend in the parking lot of Cornerstone Church in Ames. Her friend, Eden Montang, who also attended Iowa State, was also killed in the gunfire. After firing several rounds at both girls, the shooter turned the gun on himself. The shooter was not an Iowa State student.

At the time of the shooting, Vivian and Eden were on their way to The Salt Company’s summer kickoff. Salt is an on-campus ministry of Cornerstone Church that gathers weekly during the academic year. That summer marked Vivian’s fourth year in Salt.

“Religion was number one in her life,” Valarie said. “Jesus was the main part of her everyday life, and she loved going to Salt every Thursday and loved worshiping.”

Even on her busiest days, Vivian prioritized her time with God. On a normal day, she would play worship music throughout the house while getting ready for school. If she was running late to class and did not have time for music, she would make sure to play it in the car.

Vivian was adamant about attending Salt each week, even if it meant staying up until 1 a.m. to finish her homework.

Vivian had strong beliefs she was always prepared to defend. Her strong-willed and spirited nature guided her through life and helped her embrace her Latin heritage.

“If she saw something that maybe wasn’t right or she felt like she may have been treated in a different way because of her color, she was the first to be like, ‘Listen this is wrong,’” Samantha said.

Vivian’s older sister, Samantha, shares many characteristics with her, but her twin, Valarie, is calmer and more reserved.

“We really balanced each other,” Valarie said. “We were really opposite people, but it was like yin and yang for sure.”

In their junior year of college, Vivian and Valarie rented an apartment with two other roommates. They saw each other everyday and would spend time together eating meals and watching Gilmore Girls.

“She was my best friend,” Valarie said. “She knew me more than anybody ever will know about me. I called her a ‘built-in best friend.’”

Vivian was close with her entire family but had a special bond with both her sisters. Vivian and Samantha frequently talked on the phone, and all three sisters visited each other every holiday. Samantha lives five hours from Ames, but they would each make the drive as often as possible.

Samantha has two children ages three and five, and Vivian would always go out of her way to lend a hand.

“She was an amazing aunt and extremely hands on and involved,” Samantha said. “Any time she came to my house, she’d relieve me and ask ‘What can I do for you? Let me bathe the kids. Let me take them on a walk.’”

Vivian’s biggest ambition was to become a veterinarian. She hoped to graduate from veterinary school so she could open her own practice.

“Growing up we didn’t really have any animals, so the fact that she had this fondness for animals was just out of true passion,” Valarie said.

Vivian dreamed of adopting a dog and owning a farm when she got older. She especially loved large animals and cattle and had a particular soft spot for cows.

“Just give me one cow and I’m good,” Vivian would say to her sisters.

Vivian was born in El Paso, Texas, but always referred to herself as an Iowan after the Flores family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa, when she was in second grade.

While growing up, she and Valarie spent much of their free time volunteering. Vivian was particularly involved with Valley Church in West Des Moines. She and Valarie also volunteered at a respite connection with kids and families with disabilities and fed the homeless on the weekends in elementary school.

“She loved to serve,” Samantha said. “She walked with the Lord, and she knew that she was a servant to his people.”

Valarie says she likes to picture Vivian and Eden entering the gates of heaven together. The Flores family believes Valarie would turn down the chance to return to life if God presented her the choice.

“Vivian would be forgiving,” Samantha said. “I think she would say ‘I don’t like what you did, but where I’m at, I’m okay.’”

The Flores family started the Vivian R. Flores Memorial Scholarship in honor of Vivian’s life. The scholarship will be offered annually for students accepted into Iowa State’s veterinary program.

Donors can contribute to the scholarship fund through the GoFundMe platform or donate directly by contacting Iowa State’s veterinary scholarship director.

“We just want to keep talking about her and keep her story alive,” Valarie said. “She’s not just another person that was the victim of gun violence.”