[media-credit name=”Jeanette Cibelli” align=”alignnone” width=”375″][/media-credit]

I met Nathan Orsini within my first few days at Quinnipiac. It was during the orientation for the Honors Program, which quickly became a great community for us and many of our friends.

At first, all I knew about Nate was that he was kind, powerfully funny and had great dimples. Freshman year, other than our media studies class, we didn’t cross paths as much as I now wish we had.

By the time he was diagnosed a little over a year later, Nate had become a near-daily presence in my life. He was in my German class, and the language quickly wormed its way into our conversations. Our friend groups intermingled, and we all started to spend more time together.

I can honestly say our days got worse – less funny, less happy – when Nate left school. Anyone who knew Nate had a positive experience with him, whether that was a short conversation, a few classes or a lifelong friendship. Just being around him made your day better.

Nate was the glue that held everyone together. He’s the one who broke the ice, cracked jokes and made friends everywhere he went. Even after he got sick, he kept up with our lives. He genuinely cared.

Even when he wasn’t trying, his positive spirit motivated people to be better versions of themselves. Before Nate, I couldn’t go into hospitals because my anxiety was so intense. At the first hospital, I could only visit for a few minutes. But a year later, I spent nearly four hours with Nate at another hospital. I could never have done that if I hadn’t wanted to see him so badly. I’m so happy I had that time because nine days later, he passed.

This is an anxiety I can handle now, and I’ll always have Nate to thank for that, even though it was an unintended consequence of this awful situation.

It’s frustratingly impossible to find words that fully express Nathan’s presence and impact then and now. However, words are the medium here. Nate often read this newspaper – he would have loved to see his face on the cover.

He brought a million laughs, and part of him will always be around for many more. Being with his friends, family and loved ones over this past weekend for his funeral services proved that to me. I’m so grateful to have known him. Rest easy, my friend.

Check out the full article remembering Nathan’s life.