In Loving Memory of Uryan Rampersaud

“Isn’t it strange? How we all speak to you, write things to you, think about you; love you as if you were still elating us like you did. Perhaps it is because you still are; you live in us, in our minds, in our words to and fro … in our hearts now.” These words by Joseph I. Lanzilotta capture, with great acuity, how many of us have been feeling lately at Lawrence High School.

Uryan Rampersaud, 17, died on Dec. 29 of a collapsed mitral valve. Uryan was a beloved member of the LHS family and is greatly missed. I can go on and talk about how great Uryan was or how he made everyone around him laugh.

Or how he was kind to all those around him but rather I would like to portray the effect that Uryan has had on his friends from LHS. Nicole Gartner, a Lawrence senior, described Uryan’s effect on her life.

“He was the most special, kind-hearted person I’ve ever met. There wasn’t a moment I ever stopped loving him. He had a way of making me feel better by simply telling me ‘everything is going to be alright’. That’s how I’m getting through this. When I feel weak, I see him right next to me on Mr. (Steven) Sullivan’s couch, or in the hallway, smiling at me and saying ‘everything is going to be alright’. I’ve been living by Coldplay lyrics these last couple of days. Every tear drop is a waterfall, and I can’t wait to make this pain turn into something beautiful for the boy who was absolutely beautiful.”

Another one of Uryan’s friends, Michael Grossman, said: “I think the thing that really made Uryan so popular was that he was simply fun. He was always joking around and always smiling. His mood and smile was contagious.”

Even people that knew Uryan for a brief time had a lot to say. “I just recently got close with Uryan but even in the short time I knew him, I learned that he was one of the nicest and most amazing people you could ever meet,” Daina Gorbach said. “He was always positive about everything and could brighten up any room with his smile. The world suffered a great loss. Lawrence High School has suffered a great loss."

“He never failed to make friends, family, and strangers smile. It was his gift,” Nicole Bae said.

These are just a few of the many words that fellow students said about this incredible young man. Many of his peers showed their love and adoration for Uryan by attending his funeral on Jan. 3. Students either used their own transportation or the buses provided by the school district thanks to Superintendent Gary Schall, high school Principal Dr. Jennifer Lagnado, and District Science Coordinator Norman Deitch. Four buses filled with students and many faculty members were taken to the funeral.

This month, John B. Nici, faculty advisor of the student newspaper, the Mental Pabulum, decided to create an entire issue dedicated to Uryan. In this edition many students are writing about the emotions they have experienced due to their friend’s death.

As one of Uryan’s closest friends, Ron Hirshberg, said “Uryan, I’m going to miss you so much. I’ll make sure to fulfill the goals you had for me. Love you.”

There are no true words to ever describe the loss of a person, all we know is that one day we’re all going to be in that place. A new year has begun, but these students will never forget what happened, and how Uryan touched their lives.