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Friends, family, community gather to honor the life of Yuze “Frank” Wang

March 14, 2019
Beaumont Tower on July 30, 2018.
Beaumont Tower on July 30, 2018. —
Photo by Annie Barker | The State News

Members of the university community gathered at the Michigan State Alumni Chapel Monday evening to honor the life of Yuze "Frank" Wang.

Wang was an international student from China studying supply chain management in the Eli Broad College of Business. On March 1, he drowned after jumping off a high waterfall in Puerto Rico during a Spring Break trip.

Organized by MSU's Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions, the family and friends of Wang as well as residents of McDonel Hall — where Wang lived — were among those who attended the memorial. Around 200 people were in attendance.

As an intercultural aide in McDonel Hall, Frank was described by his colleagues as "sunshine in everyone's life."

"He would always ask me about how my life was going, and he never spoke about his life because he ... was too humble to speak of himself," McDonel Hall RA Maddie Bracke, who lived on the same floor as Wang, said.

University officials from Student Affairs and Services, the Department of Supply Chain Management and more attended the memorial to honor Wang's life and his past achievements at MSU.

Wang had been approved for a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to Director of Corporate and Student Relations for the Department of Supply Chain Management Kelly Lynch, but did not receive the official admission offer before his death.

At the memorial, Lynch read a letter from MIT's Supply Chain Management program that expressed their condolences to Wang's family and honored his academic accomplishments.

A letter written by Wang’s sister, Xinman Wang, was also read by their cousin at the memorial. Xinman Wang could not attend the memorial due to being in China at the time, but highlighted how much Wang's death has impacted their family, his great achievements in life and how much everyone loved him.

"My younger brother's experience is much richer than what I have described," she wrote. "I believe that his death is not only a loss for the school, but also a loss for the country, and even a loss for the world."

Wang's girlfriend, Alex Yu, also gave a memorial speech that highlighted Yuze "Frank" Wang's kindness, his strong passion for life and the positive influence he had on everyone's lives.

“Frank was really the best guy to everyone around him," Yu said. "I am really happy to know that my boyfriend has such a kind soul."

Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars Krista McCallum Beatty said in crisis situations, they provide "a broad range of support" for the family members of international students. Counseling and Psychiatric Services at MSU also offers group counseling sessions for grief recovery and other resources for those in need.

At the end of her letter, Xinman Wang thanked everyone for loving and caring for her brother.

"I hope everyone will keep his most pure and sunny look," she wrote. "Let us give the greatest respect to him."

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