The Vincent Pol University community bid farewell to one of its students, Tinashe Charinga, who hailed from Zimbabwe, Africa. Unfortunately, he couldn’t return for the new academic year, so his fellow students organized a special ceremony in his memory at the university.
Tinashe was a nursing student at VPU. He passed away on October 8th at the age of 22.
“He was an amazing guy. We used to call him Dr. Tinashe. He would be in the fifth semester of his studies today,” recalls his fellow student Joshua Musora. He adds, “We knew him very well, which is why we, along with other students, decided to organize a farewell ceremony to honor him.”
The students gathered in the university’s auditorium, where they paid tribute to their late friend. The atmosphere was somber, with decorations, flowers, candles, songs, plenty of memories, and tears.
“It was important for us to bid him farewell because many of us were still on summer break, and not everyone had the opportunity to meet Tinashe before he passed away. Without the university’s permission and the support of other students, we wouldn’t have been able to organize this farewell,” notes his friend Joshua Musora.
Joshua emphasizes that the farewell was a beautiful event. Vincent Pol University’s fellow students, Tinashe’s friends, shared their feelings. Some even sang in memory of their departed friend.
“He was someone who brought joy to each of us, in class, after class, supported us at the university and beyond. That’s why so many people came to bid him farewell. I was surprised by the turnout. We thought the venue provided by the university for this event would be too large, but within 30 minutes, the VPU auditorium was full, and it was overflowing by the middle of the memorial service. This shows that Tinashe had a tremendous impact on the hearts of our students,” Joshua Musora believes.
Joshua expresses gratitude to everyone who attended the event, contributed to the decorations, and helped with the sound system.
“We also thank the authorities of Vincent Pol University for allowing us to organize this meeting within the university’s premises. They provided us with the auditorium free of charge, so we didn’t have to rent a separate venue. Additionally, a university representative attended our farewell and said a few words. We greatly appreciate this. We appreciate what the university did for us. Thanks to this, Tinashe left among students,” Joshua Musora concludes.
Aleksandra Różycka from the English-Language Studies Dean’s Office represented VPU. On behalf of the university authorities, she conveyed condolences to Tinashe’s friends and family.
“I thanked all the students for commemorating their friend so beautifully and organizing a dignified farewell for him. For our university, this is also a great loss, as we lose a student—a young person with his whole life ahead of him,” says Aleksandra Różycka.
She adds that Tinashe’s body has already been transported to his family in Zimbabwe.