DALLAS — As people across the U.S. continue to learn about American journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed during a recent Russian missile attack in western Ukraine, two former colleagues from his time at Southern Methodist University describe the type of impact he had on Dallas and the people in his community.
Renaud, 50, was a filmmaker who had worked for several media outlets, including The New York Times. Before then, he went to SMU and eventually graduated in 1994.
That's when he met Thear Sy Suzuki.
"He made me feel seen," Suzuki said. "It was a special connection."
Suzuki is from Cambodia, and her family lived through the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. A Catholic-aid organization in Dallas eventually sponsored Suzuki and her family, allowing them to move to America as refugees in 1981.
As a sophomore, Suzuki met Renaud, a senior at the time, in the library. She said they "clicked" as friends.
"I just didn't have a sense of myself or confidence at the time," Suzuki said. "He asked good questions, and they were questions about who I was and was just interested in getting to know me."
Suzuki and Renaud eventually joined the Inter-Community Experience program at SMU. Started by students, this organization worked to help at-risk kids by providing resources such as tutoring, classes and support for family members.
This is when senior SMU lecturer Bruce Levy came into the picture.
"He was just doing everything," Levy said, speaking about Renaud. "He was a community activist."
Levy became the director of the Inter-Community Experience program in 1994, getting to know Renaud the year before. He said Brent cared deeply about the program and was serious about supporting those who needed the most help.
"It was people like Brent who really pioneered bringing SMU into the Dallas community," Levy said. "He had high standards for himself and for others in terms of their level of commitment to the kids and to the program."
Suzuki said her fondest memory of Renaud was starting a soccer team together for the kids they were working with.
"We wanted them to be a part of a team," Suzuki said with a smile. "That was really fun."
Levy said it was Suzuki who texted him on Sunday, letting him know about Renaud's death.
"I just went into shock," Levy said.
Coming back from a spring break vacation with her family, Suzuki said a friend texted her an article about her friend's death.
"I was in total disbelief," Suzuki said. "I had known that he would be going and working in dangerous places. And he had always come back."
Suzuki said it had been 29 years since she first met Renaud, and they remained in touch every year from there on out. Renaud had recently texted Suzuki happy birthday, telling her he was in South America at the time.
However, he sent that message before Russia invaded Ukraine.
"I would always pray for him," Suzuki said. "I never thought in a million years this war in Ukraine would impact me this directly."
Suzuki said Renaud felt compelled to tell "the right stories" and go wherever that story needed to be told. She described him as a quiet person as well as a thoughtful person.
"He wasn't afraid to go into dangerous areas in order to capture the right footage, meet the right people and tell the real stories of what's happening on the ground," Suzuki said. "He was driven by his purpose of bringing stories to the world that people needed to know about."
Suzuki said Renaud loved dogs and motorcycles. She also said he "really cared about people."
"I think the world has lost a great human being who has contributed so much," Suzuki said. "His memories will live on in his work. His work is really powerful."
Renaud is from Little Rock, Arkansas, and was working on a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin. A regional police force leader shared photos on social media of Renaud's passport and press credentials for the New York Times.