Andrew McBride

 Andrew McBride, a Liberty University graduate student and long-time resident assistant, died after a hard-fought battle with cancer Jan. 2, 2019. 

McBride, who was in his last year of Liberty’s Marriage and Family Counseling program, was 25 years old when he passed away. McBride had been battling cancer since his diagnosis in August of 2018. Near the end of McBride’s life, many of his friends drove in from around the country to sing, pray, and take Communion with him.

During his time at Liberty, McBride served on a hall leadership team for nearly five years, beginning as a community group leader and working his way up to RA. 

“I think I learned a lot more about leadership (from Andrew) in how leading isn’t necessarily about being the big dominant person … or being the one that has all the prowess,” Josiah Babbitt, a friend and former community group leader under McBride’s leadership, said. “(Leadership is) more about being loyal and holding people accountable and acting in a manner that you would expect of them.” 

McBride had already beaten the odds multiple times in his life. According to Joel Fernando, a resident director and friend of McBride, McBride had several health crises during his life. For example, after being born with leukemia and having a bone marrow transplant at a young age, his body rejected the donation. 

“But over and over again, God delivered him and brought him out of it,” Fernando said. 

Fernando explained that even though McBride’s numerous medical treatments stunted his growth, he was still an able-bodied person and did not need help doing everyday tasks — Babbitt even shared that McBride went to the gym with a group from his hall. However, McBride struggled with mental development when he was younger. 

 “Because of all that he went through, (he) had a lot of mental development issues as a child, and it was an achievement that he was able to graduate high school,” Fernando explained. “So, the fact that he was almost able to complete his master’s at Liberty was a miracle.”

Despite his earlier struggles, McBride was an excellent student during his college years.

“(Andrew) told me that one of his keys for when he was doing RA stuff was budgeting his time carefully. Any time that he wasn’t out doing something with people, he was always doing his homework and reading because he wanted to be available if anybody needed him for something,” Babbitt said. “He was really good at making himself available to people.” 

McBride’s medical condition also helped him empathize more with others, according to Fernando.

“(McBride) had this ability to connect with people who most people didn’t pay much attention to,” Fernando said.

As an RA, McBride was required to meet with people who were on his leadership team. But he also went beyond the requirements and got to know different students on his halls through the years.

 “He didn’t want to make anyone feel left out,” Fernando explained. 

When RAs do curfew checks at night, many students are no more than a name and a face for the RA to check off a list. But these were the students McBride made a point of meeting with and getting to know. 

Fernando also emphasized McBride’s personal integrity. If he made a promise, he took it very seriously. Fernando said McBride’s integrity challenged him in his own life. 

“If he thought you could be doing something better, he would come right up to you and say, ‘Hey, I think you’re not doing the best you can,’” Fernando said. “He would come and tell you without fear.” 

His integrity also showed in his job as an RA. Fernando said McBride did not let his students get away with breaking rules. 

“If he thought you could be doing something better, he would come right up to you and say, ‘Hey, I think you’re not doing the best you can,’” Fernando said. “He would come and tell you without fear.” 

His integrity also showed in his job as an RA. Fernando said McBride did not let his students get away with breaking rules. 

“Comparatively to some RAs, he was a bit more strict on the rules,” F e r n a n d o said. “But he didn’t just enforce the rules because they’re the rules. He would enforce the rules because he believed it’s what was best for you.” 

Babbitt echoed many of Fernando’s sentiments. However, Babbitt mentioned that McBride let them “bend the rules a little bit to have some fun,” so long as they were not doing anything wrong. 

“At any time, hanging out with Andrew was always an adventure on its own,” Babbitt said. “We’d always have fun, cause some trouble, make some memories, and all come out the better for it.” 

McBride is survived by parents, David and Kris McBride, and sisters Amanda and Kelly, all of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 

Memorial services were held on Jan. 6 and Jan. 10 in South Carolina and North Carolina, respectively.