In a standing-room-only Memorial Chapel, members of the Colgate community gathered Wednesday evening to remember the life of Sohail Nabi ’26.
Students, faculty, and staff filled the chapel after a brief rain shower produced a double rainbow over campus moments before the vigil for Nabi, a political science and philosophy double major from Yonkers who lost his life in a tragic kayak accident on the Schroon River, May 10.
Interim University Chaplain and Campus Imam Ahmet Celik opened the vigil with a traditional Muslim prayer and Quran recitation.
“We gather tonight carrying a weight that words often fail to describe. We come together as a single community united by a single human truth. When one of us hurts, the light of our entire circle dims,” Celik said.
Vice President and Dean of the College Paul McLoughlin II encouraged students in the Class of 2026 to lean upon the community they have created together throughout the past four years.
“Tonight, in this hallowed space we gather not as administrators and students, not as faculty and seniors, but as one community bound by a shared sorrow of Sohail’s sudden passing Sunday evening,” said McLoughlin. “May we find comfort from his memory, and strength in our togetherness.”
George Carleton Jr. Professor of Philosophy David Dudrick spoke of Nabi’s kindness and sharp wit in the classroom. Dudrick, who received a Torch Medal from Nabi, said he struggled with the words to describe him, but always landed on the word “sweet” for a gentle young man who seemed to always be thinking.
“I had the privilege of having Sohail in four classes . . . Sohail’s philosophical thinking informed his life. His interest in philosophy was deep, abiding, and also sincere. Sohail had a philosophical spirit,” Dudrick said.
Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing offered a series of short readings from several religious traditions in reflection of moments of loss.
Colgate President Brian W. Casey said his inbox has been inundated this week with messages from those touched by Sohail’s time at Colgate.
“For me, Sohail represented Colgate at its very best. He was curious. He was kind. He wanted to make the world a better place, truly,” Casey said. “It’s heartbreaking that he will not have the opportunity to contribute all that he could have to his family, to his friends, to his community and beyond. But he certainly did make Colgate a better place while he was here among us. I will miss his gentle smile in Lawrence Hall, or walking across the quad, always thinking.”