It is with great sadness that we must announce the loss of several students and alumni in our community during the tragic events that took place in Paris last Friday.
We are grieving for Nohemi Gonzalez, an American exchange student at Strate School of Design, Victor Munoz, a second year Master’s student at PSB Paris School of Business, Elsa Delplace of IESA Class of 2013 and founder of its’ Alumni Association, and Lucie Dietrich, a graduate of IESA Multimedia, Class of 2013.
Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones.
Our thoughts are also with the wounded in our community, including at least two who remain in critical condition. These numbers could increase over the next few days as we are still receiving additional information about this tragedy in Paris Friday night. For all of us, this is a time of immense pain and sadness. In this time of tears and suffering, we must not stem this pain, but stand united in the face of these tragic events.
We will be at Strate Monday at 5:00 p.m. to remember and honor Nohemi. On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., we will be at PSB to commemorate Victor.
We will come together to mourn their loss and support one another in this time of overwhelming grief.
Our response to the darkness will be the light. We made the choice to work in higher education by providing knowledge and developing students’ critical thinking, lighting the paths of those who trusted in us by choosing to be part of our institutions. We will carry on.
Today we understand that our values are as imperative as they are fragile; they must be defended. Knowledge and reason are powerful weapons, and they are ours.
Instead of living under the shadow of panic and fear of Friday’s tragic events, we will continue to do our jobs, which is to teach.
We will do it together, united as one.
Marc-François Mignot-Mahon
President of Studialis- Galileo Global Education France