The death of Christiano Barbosa on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013 was a devestating tragedy here at Bryant University. We were all shocked to hear the news of the car accident that killed Christiano and injured two of the four surviving students after a collision with a tree by the rugby field. We have since then been forced to try to accept the loss of one of our Bryant family members.
Christiano was a smart and witty person; one who was always up for a good time. Any student that knew him would agree that he was always smiling. In the short time he was at Bryant, Christiano had made friends with large amounts of people and was living life to the fullest. It is heartbreaking that he was taken from us so soon.
After receiving the news in an e-mail from President Machtley on Thursday, everyone on campus shared a sense of togetherness and support. With the help of professors and discussions in class, Bryant was able to cope with the death of one of our own.
The wake took place in East Providence on Sunday, the 27th. The attendence was enormous and had people lined around the building until it ended. While waiting in line to send regards to Christiano’s family, quotes and pictures were placed for all of his loved ones to look at. One very inspirational quote was his own tweet, “Nothing’s ever promised for tomorrow, today”. Chris was right- nothing is ever promised for tomorrow, for none of us can actually predict the future.
The amount of people who cared for Chris was unbelievable. It is unfortunate that not all students at Bryant were granted the privilege of knowing Chris. Sending our deepest sympathies to the family, rest in peace Christiano Barbosa.