Student Life

Antonio Arellano-Banda, who completed his sophomore year at the McKelvey School of Engineering, died on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. He was 20 years old.

“Sometimes he would just surprise you out of nowhere, because he was a very kind person, so whenever he’d make a joke, it’d be just so out-of-pocket funny,” said friend and rising junior Brenda Bulnes.

Antonio’s energy was infectious. He would greet everyone with a smile and an exuberant wave. He played “Linger” by The Cranberries on repeat. He was a great listener, and he made the best chocolate chip cookies. He remembered birthdays and always made sure to find a way to celebrate them. He was also a fiercely competitive card player.

“There’s so many times, [he’d be] like, ‘Okay, just one more game… no, I’m gonna beat you at least once,’ and that never ended,” said rising junior and friend Frida Vasquez, beaming at the memory.

Read the full obituary at https://www.studlife.com/news/2026/06/12/remembering-antonio-allerano-banda

✍️ Laurel Wang
📷 Photo courtesy of Fam Arellano

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For someone who’s been to space, Amanda Nguyen is incredibly down to earth. Nguyen, a sexual assault advocate and the first Vietnamese woman to go to space, spoke about her journey during a fireside chat on Thursday, April 16.

The event was sponsored by Cross-Cultural Connections, the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RVSP) Center and the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office for Sexual Assualt Awareness Month. It was hosted in collaboration with the Asian Multicultural Collective and the Vietnamese Student Association.

The following resources are available for students at WashU: The Sexual Assault and R**e Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. during the fall and spring academic semesters.

There are counselors at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center, located in Seigle Hall, Suite 435, available confidentially to any University student. The office can be reached at 314-935-3445 or by email at [email protected].

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 or via online chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online 24/7.

To reach Title IX, students can contact Title IX Coordinator Jessica Kennedy at 314-935-3118 or go to the Title IX Office in Umrath Hall 001.

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/news/2026/04/23/amanda-nguyen-an-astronaut-a-scientist-and-an-activist-speaks-at-washu

✍️ Flannery P**n
📸 Alex Dering