Michael William Kriesel dreamed of saving the wolves out west.
He was one step closer to his goal after completing his first semester at Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo.
His classmates said they “never saw the guy without a smile.”
Kriesel died Sunday morning when his car veered off Interstate 95 and crashed into the concrete base of a highway sign.
Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 22.
Joseph Cambareri, Kriesel’s best friend, said Kriesel left at about noon Saturday for Florida after spending the holiday with his family in New York.
Cambareri said he believes Kriesel drove for about 17 hours without sleeping and may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Cambareri and Kriesel met at an audition for “Les Miserables” about eight years ago and have been friends ever since.
The two shared a love for a capella music, but they didn’t always see eye to eye on movies.
Kriesel liked to watch low-budget horror films for fun.
Before attending Santa Fe, Kriesel lived in Syracuse, N.Y.
He graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2008 with Cambareri.
Later, he studied at the State University of New York at Potsdam before working at a dog training business.
Kriesel was one of about 120 students enrolled in the zoo animal technology program at Santa Fe, said Jonathan Miot, director of the teaching zoo.
After his death, Kriesel’s classmates met Sunday night to light candles and share stories of experiences in the program with him.
“We all really admired his energy,” said Elena Almas, a 35-year-old student in the program. “He was just that kind of guy.”
“He was a good student. He was always eager to learn,” said Miot, who taught Kriesel. “The thing I remember most is that he always had a smile on.”
Kriesel always had a sense of adventure, Cambareri recalled, saying he remembered when the two went cliff jumping with friends and when they set off their own fireworks during a Fourth of July celebration last year.
Kriesel is survived by his parents, two older sisters and a younger brother.
A funeral is scheduled for Kriesel on Friday at Immaculate Conception Parish in Fayetteville, N.Y.
Cambareri started a Facebook page in Kriesel’s honor.
As of press time, the page had about 700 likes.
Cambereri said he wouldn’t forget Kriesel’s signature voice.
“When he talked, it didn’t sound like anybody else,” he said. “When he talked, I knew I should listen.”
Michael William Kriesel, 22, died in a car accident Sunday morning after his car crashed into the concrete base of a highway sign on Interstate 95.
