As the shock of Abraham Huang's death reverberates in the Penn community, fellow students and friends continue to grieve over the sudden loss.
Huang, a College junior who transferred from Purdue University this fall, died in a motorcycle accident early Wednesday morning on the Schuylkill Expressway.
Remembered as an incredible musician who took late-night rides on his motorcycle, Huang managed to create a place for himself in spite of his short time at Penn.
"I couldn't believe how nice he was and how outgoing he was," said College sophomore Tom Lione, who was Huang's roommate. "He was really one of the easiest kids to talk to."
Previously enrolled in an engineering program at Purdue, Huang transferred to Penn in September to pursue a degree in psychology.
His interests, however, ran deeper than his studies. In his three months at Penn, Huang volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, sang at open-mike night at Billy Bob and still managed to do well in his classes.
Huang was also regarded as a risk-taker who had a strong desire to skydive and to purchase a motor bike that went even faster than the one that he owned.
Yet above all, Huang's passion for playing the violin was remembered by his peers.
"The strongest image of him that I have is as an amazingly talented musician," said Moira McCullough, a Harvard junior who attended Farmington High School in Connecticut with Huang. "He was absolutely so humble and modest about it."
Huang served as concertmaster for his high school orchestra and he won a place in the all-state orchestra each of his four years in high school. At Penn, his talents as a musician were known as well.
"The first time that I heard him play the violin, I couldn't believe what I was hearing," Lione said.
Still, what resounds most among those who knew him was Huang's charismatic and level-headed personality.
"He always said 'hello' and he was always in a happy mood -- I never saw him unhappy," said Chris Sullivan, who ran track with Huang in high school. "He got us all hyped-up for meets by singing marching songs."
Huang's outgoing personality also struck Jorge Gonzalez, his graduate associate in Harrison College House.
"I only knew him for three months, but I was amazed with how quickly he made an impression on people," Gonzalez said. "He was really an incredibly nice guy."
Kristin Sahradnik, a College sophomore who lived down the hall from Huang, noted his great sense of humor . She reminisced about a particular night when she was studying with him in the Fine Arts Library.
"We were all laughing so hard that we thought we were going to get kicked out," she said. "So we decided to leave before someone asked us to."
Yet, it was the constant support that Huang provided to his closest friends that made the most lasting impression.
"He was a genuine, kind-hearted and caring guy who cared about the well-being of those around him," Sahradnik said.
Lione agreed with Sahradnik's sentiments, emphasizing Huang's loyalty as a friend from the very beginning.
"If I had any problems with my family or school or whatever, he was the first person that I would think to talk to," he said. "We were instantly best friends -- I thought that he was going to be one of the closest friends that I ever had."
