DUBOIS – Two Penn State DuBois students who tragically died in recent incidents were honored and remembered by their fellow students, faculty and staff, and their families at a Candlelight Vigil held on campus Wednesday.
Jordan Andrulonis and Shane Horner were remembered as caring, outgoing members of the Penn State DuBois family. Both students, who died on the same weekend, were honored by speakers at the ceremony who shared stories and memories about them. Those speakers also talked about dealing with the heartbreak.
“Jordan and Shane were members of our family and we feel a tremendous loss,” said Chancellor Anita McDonald. “I personally find it difficult to accept the deaths of Jordan and Shane. It doesn’t seem right or fair, but that’s not our call.” McDonald also suggested positive ways to impact the community that Andrulonis and Horner would approve of. “If we want to honor Jordan and Shane, we need to continue their work and embrace life with the same sense of purpose that they did. Demonstrate our love of family at each opportunity. Help others. Volunteer time to take someone to the doctor; coach a children’s sports team; help raise funds to benefit others,” she said.
Student Life Coordinator Marly Doty spoke about the impact Horner and Andrulonis had on the campus. “Both of these young men were known by many people on campus. This is a great loss to our Penn State DuBois family,” she said. “These two young men had a lot of potential and showed enthusiasm in anything they were involved in.”
Brittany Charleson, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), said members of the campus community should never forget, but can move forward by supporting each other.
“Although we all may not be related, study the same major, or follow the same path, we are all part of the Penn State family. As a family we all stick together in even the hardest times,” Charleson said.
Andrulonis, 22 of DuBois, was a mechanical engineering major and Dean’s List student. He was also a member of the Penn State DuBois wrestling team and active in intramural athletics. He drowned at Treasure Lake on Saturday, September 12.
Horner, 18 of Brockway, was a freshman and First Year Senator in the SGA. He also volunteered with Service Above Self (SAS). He was killed in a car crash on Sunday, September 13.
The candlelight vigil in honor of these students was organized by SGA and the Christian Student Fellowship (CFS).