Lake Central alum, Dr. Dayna Less (‘12), was among the four dead at the shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago on Monday, Nov. 19. According to Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson, Less walked off an elevator and was shot by the gunman.

“Dayna and my daughter, Megan, have been friends for 14 years.” Ms. Sherri Bereda, Guidance, said, “They met at Bibich and continued through middle school, high school [and] then to Purdue after they graduated in 2012. They went the pre pharmacy route and got into pharmacy school. For three solid years of pharmacy school, they were study buddies. They studied sometimes up to 12 hours a day together in the Union. They helped each other through some tough exams and tough times.”

According to a statement released by her family, Less suffered a headache disorder when she was 15 and that is when she realized she wanted to help others. Less obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University and was a first-year pharmaceutical resident at Mercy Hospital. 

“She was a huge Purdue fan [and] loved going to the sporting events. Her and my daughter actually went on a two month Kenya rotation for pharmacy last February, March and April. [She] loved to adventure, loved life [and] wanted to experience all there was to experience,” Bereda said.

In her senior year of high school Less graduated cum laude and was a member of the internship program, National Honor Society and Senior Class Cabinet. She was also active in her Serbian community. Less was set to be married to her high-school sweetheart, Adam Keric in June. 

“Dayna was a voice to be reckoned with. She had a phenomenal personality. She was so caring. She was always concerned about others. She had strong value, morals and opinions and wasn’t afraid to share those. She stood up for what was right. Dayna had that inner voice,” Bereda said.