GVSU community gathers for vigil to honor life of student Brendan Santo

Friends, family and the Grand Valley community gathered at the Cook Carillon Tower for a vigil held in remembrance of Brendan Santo. 

Santo, a first-year student from Rochester Hills, went missing in East Lansing on October 29. Authorities recovered his body last month from the Red Cedar River.

The February 10 vigil was organized by Santo’s cousin, GVSU student Sophia Rose, who said she wanted to honor his memory "since he had made such great memories here and met a lot of new people."

A photo display showed Santo surrounded by family, friends, high school lacrosse teammates and dogs. Due to Santo’s well-known love for dogs, the family used the money received from a GoFundMe to purchase a therapy dog for Oxford High School, the site of a school shooting last year.

After some brief remarks at the vigil, many of those attending stopped at a letter-writing station to write notes to send to Santo's parents.

President Philomena V. Mantella was among those from the university who attended the vigil. 

“We value the life of every student on this campus," Mantella said. "Following the tragic death of Brendan, it is fitting that we gather as a community to remember him and provide comfort to his loved ones.”

Jesse Bernal, chief of staff to the president and vice president for Inclusion and Equity and Jennifer Hall-Jones, vice president for Student Affairs, also attended to show their support.