Pedestrian hit, killed in Lexington crash remembered as ‘endlessly encouraging’ teacher

For Martina Vasil, a music educator at the University of Kentucky, “all of the wrong things had to happen” for her friend — a music student, educator and runner — to wind up dead in a Lexington crash Friday.

Her friend, 33-year-old Mia Alayna Ibrahim, was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Nicholasville Road and Rosemont Garden after the vehicle ran a red light while Ibrahim was in a crosswalk, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Fayette Coroner Gary Ginn publicly identified Ibrahim as the victim Sunday. Ginn ruled Ibrahim’s death an accident, though a police investigation was still active this week. The victim was identified as a female in the coroner’s report, but friends told the Herald-Leader Ibrahim went by they/them pronouns.

Vasil, an associate professor of music education and director of graduate studies for the School of Music at UK, said Ibrahim was a music advocate who was motivated, self-directed, full of creative ideas, and always thinking about their students and making them feel welcomed and loved.

“When you were with Mia you felt like the most important person in that space with them,” Vasil told the Herald-Leader. “They had such curiosity about other people and were endlessly encouraging, inquisitive, and brilliant. They had so many projects and ideas lined up.”

Ibrahim was a first-generation American whose family is from Lebanon. Ibrahim came to Lexington to pursue their Ph.D. in music education at UK in the hopes of becoming a community college professor to advocate for higher education access.

This was something Vasil, also a first-generation American, bonded over with Ibrahim. She said Ibrahim used their music classroom to be a safe space for others to express themselves.

Ibrahim was featured one month ago by Music Will, a music education outlet, and said their classroom was “not just a music classroom.

“I mean you can see it is a place where identities matter and people matter first,” Ibrahim told Music Will.

Before coming to Kentucky, Ibrahim was a high school music educator and department head in the South Bronx in New York.

They graduated with their master’s in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Ibrahim had a long history of working with marginalized communities starting with a music therapy apprenticeship at rehabilitation centers and brain injury centers in the Bay Area of California.

Ibrahim was a member of the board of directors with the Association of Popular Music Education, where they and Vasil first met. They were an avid athlete and participated in the Frontrunners Lexington group.

In a post on the Association of Popular Music Education’s Facebook page, the group wrote, “Mia was an active member of the APME community since 2019, and a regular attendee and presenter at our conferences. For those of us who were lucky enough to visit Mia’s classroom as a teacher, their classroom was a welcoming space where all students could show up as their most authentic selves.

“Mia was passionate, caring, and loyal, and a bright light to so many.”

The leadership team is discussing ways to honor Ibrahim through a scholarship or an award, the post said.

Frontrunners Lexington also shared a post on social media remembering Ibrahim, and said the group will do everything in its power to secure pedestrian and runner safety in Lexington. The group is hosting a moment of silence and remembrance during its walk/run Wednesday night.

Investigation into Ibrahim’s death is still active

In the wake of Ibrahim’s sudden death, Vasil said she was overcome with profound sadness.

“It is all the stages of grief – shock, denial, anger at the driver,” she said. “Lexington is not a safe place for walkers or bikers. That is the part I am most angry about.”

Vasil said both drivers and pedestrians can contribute to safety hazards when traveling. The use of cell phones can also make pedestrian safety a challenge.

“The car is always going to win, if it’s between a car and a pedestrian,” Vasil said through tears. “Just be mindful of people. That text, it is not more important than life.”

Lexington police said the investigation into Ibrahim’s death was still ongoing earlier this week, but the driver was not expected to face charges. Sgt. Guy Miller explained that while any case remains open, the status of whether to file charges could change.