The recent death of sophomore Gilbert Duvalsaint on Oct. 26 has left many students struggling with the loss of a dear friend.
At a candlelight vigil held on the night of Saturday, Oct. 29, Gil, as he was called by family and friends, was silently mourned both by his brothers in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and his classmates. Yet despite their grief, those who knew Duvalsaint shared the common wish that he be remembered as he was in life, not in death.
Though Duvalsaint's uncle asked not to be directly quoted, he expressed to all in attendance his hope for friends not to mourn or suffer on Duvalsaint's behalf, but rather to be happy in cherishing moments shared and to accomplish goals for Gil.
Fellow Pi Kappa Alpha brother sophomore Hans Mueller expressed a similar sentiment, saying on behalf of his fraternity, "We want Gil to be remembered for who he was and not how he died."
An active member of his fraternity, a hardworking student, a volunteer, a loving brother to two sisters and a student adviser, Duvalsaint was described by a friend who preferred to remain anonymous as having had "a ton of stuff going on."
Sophomore Rajiv Shenoy, Duvalsaint's roommate said, "He would stay up until three in the morning doing work so that he could go out with friends the following night ... He was a really balanced guy."
Those who knew him echoed Shenoy in summarizing Duvalsaint's attitude towards life and friends.
Mueller said, "He was all of our favorites because he never complained, he just always had a positive outlook on every situation ... No matter what we were doing, he always made everyone around him smile -- that was a very special talent that he had."
Shenoy added, "He was the kind of guy who could go somewhere not knowing someone, and the next day they'd be best friends; the kind of guy where you could watch TV for hours and not say a word, or talk for five hours, and either way you'd have a good time. When you were with Gil you could always have a good time."
Indeed, all who knew him seemed to have found in Duvalsaint an appreciation for the small things in life.
Sophomore Kristy Chu, who lived next door to him last year, said, "Knowing Gil definitely changed me. There was just something about him. He wouldn't do extravagant things -- it was the little things he did, just always being such a positive person, not being negative, not being mean, that really adds something to life and once it's gone, you just feel lost."
Duvalsaint was also someone who was involved with his school. Volunteering as a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions, he often hosted prospective students, gave tours and spoke with potential students and parents.
Friend and fellow volunteer sophomore Samantha Buyniski said, "He always talked up Hopkins. He loved it."
Univerity Chaplain Sharon Kugler, who spoke with Duvalsaint's parents, noted, "He often would have to convince his parents why he wasn't coming home for one occasion or another, so that he could stay at school."
Buyniski, who shared many classes and often studied with Duvalsaint, described him as "so smart and so humble, studying very hard...You would never have guessed it. He never talked about how smart he was."
Duvalsaint, who planned on going on to medical school, "would have been such a good doctor -- he'd have a great bedside manner," added Buyniski.
Yet Duvalsaint was also talented in other ways, and was particularly good at his most recent summer job, selling knives for a cutlery company.
Shenoy said, "Over the summer he was just a normal employee, but then he started going to business expos; even though he was pre-med, he had a knack for getting to know people."
The older brother to two sisters, Duvalsaint was extremely close to his family. "He would always talk about them. He used to always ask me to come to his room and look at pictures, and they'd always be of him and his dad, or him and his mom, or his sisters," Shenoy said.
The same care that he had for family, Duvalsaint extended to friends and even strangers. Sophomore Derrick Kuan, a Pi Kappa Alpha brother, remembers him as "always having tons of stuff to do, but he would always help out anyone if they needed it."
"He was really selfless, he really cared about people, and I think that was one of his best attributes," he said.
Buyniski said, "Everyone is so blessed to have known him. I feel like I have never met anyone like him in my life ... He was very special."
"One thing I want people to realize," Shenoy added, "is that they should look around and feel so lucky for what they have, to see their friends, and tell them I love you. Life's so short and precious."
