By California State University, Long Beach student Nohemi Gonzalez was among the at least 129 people killed in terrorist attacks carried out across Paris on Friday.
Gonzalez, a junior industrial design major, was attending Strate School of Design during a semester abroad program. She was 23 years old.
“We are a graduating class of 70 and we are still trying to process what happened,” Tanya Flores, a senior industrial design major said. “It was the weirdest feeling to recognize a name in the news.”
According to university officials, Gonzalez was with two other CSULB students in one of the two restaurants targeted by terrorists.
“To the best of our understanding, they [the students] were out at the time of the attack. One of her friends did see that she was shot by the terrorists but [the friend] was able to flee,” said Terri Carbaugh, CSULB associate vice president for legislative & external relations.
The friend reportedly saw Nohemi taken out on a stretcher, but was unable to determine her condition, according to Carbaugh.
“Nohemi was super caring and loved by many,” Monique Weinapple, a senior industrial design major, said. According to Weinapple, Gonzalez was a teaching assistant for the department of design.
“She had a very buoyant, joyous personality. She was extremely lively, extremely energetic, no shortage of anything you couldn’t ask her to do and she would be there for her students, for her classmates,” Michael LaForte, a lecturer for the department of design said during a news conference.
“We have been in close contact throughout the night with students and families and have confirmed that 16 other Long Beach State students studying in Paris are safe,” CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said.
CSULB reached out to each student individually via social media, phone calls and texts to confirm their safety, said Michael Uhlenkamp, the CSULB executive director of news.
CSULB also has roughly 80 students from France that are currently studying at CSULB. Conoley said that the university has also reached out to them.
Uhlenkamp said that students in need of counseling should contact the Office of the Dean of Students.
A vigil for Gonzalez will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the North Entrance of the University Student Union building.
Miranda Andrade-Ceja and Amy Patton also contributed to this article.
Sigh!