In the past week, a piece of incredibly frightening and sad news reached the Drexel University campus. Jasmine Wright, a former student who earned a graduate degree from the School of Public Health, was murdered in her West Philadelphia apartment. While student deaths are relatively common at a university of our size, they are rarely so violent and so tragic.
It’s hard to imagine being taken so quickly and unexpectedly. Jasmine lived her life with the intention of benefiting others and extending their lives, but it was her own that ended so abruptly. The Triangle cannot even begin to imagine the pain her loved ones may be going through during this time and we fully extend our support and condolences for those living with memory of her in their hearts.
The Daily News reported that Wright traveled to several countries in Africa as part of her public health work, and while an undergraduate at The Pennsylvania State University, she raised $2,361 for the charity group Global Brigades. Four years earlier, Wright had created a mobile clinic for members of a village in West Africa, providing medical and dental care to populations most likely in dire need of easier healthcare access. These feats alone could permanently changed the lives of the members of those the her acts touched, and her legacy will no doubt continue to inspire the friends and family she left behind.
While this is unquestionably a time of of loss and pain, it is important to remember that it is also a time of reflection. We, as members of the Drexel community, should take pride in the life that Wright led, in addition to lamenting her loss. Wright was one of us; she took her Drexel experience and took used it to help others across the world. It is in awe that we think about what she would have accomplished if her life had not been cut short. Her life should remind us that we play a part in improving the world, and that we each are capable of improving the lives of those we meet with our actions.
More than that, this editorial is about condolences and extending kindness that simulates what Wright shared with others. She will be missed. Her love will hang in the hearts of those she cared for the most. Her life has affected so many others in such a positive way, that we hope to embody at least a little bit more of her memory in this piece, where it can be archived and looked back upon for years to come.