She was described by friends as the \u2018light of people\u2019s lives.\u2019 She was a loved daughter, sister, fianc\u00e9e and friend.<\/p>\n
The Brock University community is mourning the loss of Jennifer Popescu, who was set to graduate with an undergraduate degree next month and get started on a master\u2019s degree this fall. The 21-year-old died suddenly on Wednesday, May 15.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds clich\u00e9, but when Jennifer walked into a room, everyone\u2019s attention would go to her because she had such a vibrant personality,\u201d said her friend and classmate Chantal Ryan. \u201cShe handled every challenge with dignity and grace and will be sadly missed by all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman from McGregor, Ont., had recently completed her four-year Biomedical Sciences degree and was to graduate with Ryan and other friends in the Math and Science Spring Convocation ceremony on Friday, June 14.<\/p>\n
Popescu had also been accepted into a Faculty of Applied Health Sciences master\u2019s program under the supervision of Associate Professor of Health Sciences Litsa Tsiani, who said she was shocked and saddened by Popescu\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n
\u201cJennifer approached me in January and expressed an interest to continue her studies towards a master\u2019s degree,\u201d Tsiani said. \u201cHer performance in my undergraduate courses was excellent and she was an intelligent, hardworking and promising student. She was accepted into our Master of Science program and was very excited to start working in my lab and learning new research techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brock student Julie Costa, who was also friends with Popescu through the Alpha Pi Phi sorority they were part of with Ryan, called her friend a \u201clight in so many lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was such a loving, intelligent, hard-working and funny young woman whose smile could brighten any room she entered,\u201d Costa said.<\/p>\n
Popescu is survived by her parents Tamara and Florin, sister Jessica and fianc\u00e9 Jesse Van Belle, who is also a Brock student.<\/p>\n