Friends and family gathered to pay their respects Thursday at a memorial service in the Shapiro Campus Center for Jean Joseph "Reggie" Reginald Poyau '04 who died last summer while studying abroad in Senegal.
"What words can we say?" asked Catholic Chaplain Father David Michael, who opened the ceremony with somber reflections. He offered his understanding of how hollow the mystery of loss and death leaves us.
According to Michael, Reggie was a strong member of the Catholic Church here as well as in his hometown of Brockton.
Remembrances were offered by Scott Van Der Meid, coordinator of Study Abroad. Van Der Meid described Reggie as a passionate and open-minded student who often spoke about other cultures and religions. He said Reggie's main reason for wanting to study abroad in Africa was to dispel negative misconceptions he knew about Africa and to transform them into positive understandings. Van Der Meid said he felt comfort in knowing that Reggie did gain this invaluable knowledge and had realized his dreams.
Friends of Reggie also shared their memories in the Shapiro Atrium. Sara McDanolds '04, Craig Simons '04, Shiloh Sundstrom '04, Ben Shller '04 and David Nathan '04 may not have shared the exact same relationship with Reggie, but they did share the same sentiments. They called Reggie a genuine, fearless, modest, accomplished person.
Reggie, who grew up in Haiti and spoke both Creole and French, came to the United States at the age of 12 and learned how to speak English by watching television. Reggie excelled not only in academics but was a stellar athlete as well.
Running track was a big part Reggie's life.
His coach, Mark Reytblat, remembered Reggie as simply a great person who smiled even during competitions
"Reggie will never leave the team or our hearts - never," Reytblat said.
Reggie was an important member of the Brandeis community. A politics major who contributed to the city government, he spent numerous hours volunteering for many different causes
Finally, Reggie's brother, Max, shared with those in attendance what Reggie was like at home. He said how everyone always mentioned his brother's smile.
"Reggie's mission on this earth was to bring happiness to everyone," he said.
A moment of silence was then observed, followed by an open podium for others to share their feelings and anecdotes about Reggie.
Michael ended the memorial service with a closing prayer hoping that all the remembrances would bring comfort, with "no sorrow, no weeping, no pain.