More than 150 students gathered around the courtyard of All Faiths Chapel Friday night to pray for and honor the life of Texas A&M freshman Tynesha Stewart.
The service was a prayer vigil to remember the 19-year-old civil engineering major that went missing over spring break. Students gathered for the candle-lit service to hear friends and family speak and to give condolences to those in mourning.
"It was too early…too soon," said Rev. Melvin Cooper, the pastor at St. Matthew's Baptist church, in his address to the crowd. "I've been involved with students since 1980, and it never ceases to amaze me the camaraderie you students show for each other."
Cooper called on all students, regardless of color, to stand strong and support their fellow Aggie.
"I was less inspiring to her, than she was to me," said Kristen Sorenson, an admissions counselor who works with the Houston Prospective Student center, and was the one who recruited Tynesha. "If she could have seen this, her decision to come to A&M would have been justified."
Amidst tears, friends and roommates spoke on Tynesha's impact in their lives, how she touched them and how passionate she was about everything she did. Lindsay Steichen, Stewart's roommate and friend, talked about first meeting Tynesha and how much fun they had during their first week of school and how honored she would have been by the gathering at the chapel.
After Cooper ended the service with a prayer, many students, friends and family stayed to console each other, and the chapel was open to anyone that wished to enter and grieve, pray or talk to someone.
There were photos of Stewart for visitors to look at, and a large card was set out in the chapel for anyone to sign, to offer condolences to the family or to offer their prayers and thoughts for Stewart. Many students wore a white ribbon pinned to their clothing in memory of Stewart.
"It has been difficult for me to accept that this bright, lively young woman has been taken away from us," said Eric Watson, admissions counselor and an organizer of the vigil. "Tynesha only wanted to pursue her dreams of going and graduating from college, and she was doing that here at Texas A&M. I became very attached to Tynesha and enjoyed our talks. She was excited to be an Aggie."
In coping with this, Watson said it is the responsibility of Aggies to come together as a campus.
"We pride ourselves on being a big family, Tynesha was a part of my family, our family, the Aggie Family and that's all that matters," he said. "We will continue to support her loved ones as long as it takes, because that's what a family is suppose to do."
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