Vigil held for students

A memorial service was held on the steps of DeMoss Hall Thursday night, Aug. 23, for three Liberty University students who lost their lives over the summer. Alexandra Velarde, 23, and her brother, Christian Velasquez, 19, died in a house fire over the summer.

Awyetu “Hope” Wasa, 16, also lost her life over the summer. Wasa died on June 3 in a tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of 153 people. She was planning on attending Liberty this semester to study computer engineering.

Carolyn Marcelo, a 23-year-old Liberty alumnus, delivered a eulogy for the siblings.

“I’m an only child, so she was my first friend, my best friend, my sister. If there was someone I could always count on to be there for me, it was always her,” Marcelo said. “When her brother Chris was born, Alex had someone new to pick on, with lots of love, of course.”
Marcelo went on to describe the similar personalities that the siblings shared.

“They were two of the kindest and friendliest people a person could ever meet. The type of people you could just tell anything to and knew that they would just understand what you were going through. Even after everything, I see how God was just always still there,” she said.

Marcelo closed the eulogy by describing her last interaction with the siblings.

“The Monday before everything happened, a bunch of us went out to celebrate [our] friends’ birthdays. When we arrived at my house, I don’t know why I thought it, but I wanted to say ‘I’ll see you on Wednesday,’ but the words that came out were, ‘Love you guys, I’ll see you soon.’ I don’t know why this had to happen, and I may never understand it, but all I need to know is that God’s still in control. They are in heaven, with no more pain.” she said.