Three more students pass over three months
USC Aiken has suffered three more losses of students within three months.
The total number of student deaths in 2020, including a student that was not enrolled in the spring 2020 semester, is now four. Jeremiah Duncan was the first death, occurring in early February.
On February 5, a day after Duncan’s passing, Kayanna Simmons-Thomas passed. Simmons-Thomas passed from a pre-existing heart condition. She was a member of the Rotaract Club and NAACP at USCA while she was a student.
Morgan Mills posted a comment regarding Simmons-Thomas’s passing.
“Kayanna Simmons-Thomas was a joy to have in NAACP. We could always depend on her to be at any event. Definitely miss seeing her face. Love you Kay,” Mills wrote.
“Please note, at the time of her passing earlier this year, Kayanna Simmons-Thomas was not enrolled as a student at the university. She had attended the university previously and had been active on campus,” wrote Leslie Hull-Ryde, director of news and information, in an email correspondence.
“Although she wasn't enrolled in classes at the time, when we learned of her passing, the university reached out to the family, offering support. At the request of her family, one student who knew Kayanna well spoke at her funeral,” Hull-Ryde continued.
Joshua Bush, a first-semester nursing student, passed away due to complications related to COVID-19.
Chancellor Jordan sent out an official communication email expressing pride for Bush’s contributions toward fighting the coronavirus at a local medical facility.
“Since the COVID-19 outbreak hit our region, Joshua bravely cared for patients, working part-time in a local health care facility,” Jordan wrote.
“He was a stellar student and a beloved classmate, always greeting people with a big smile,” she continued.
Bush leaves behind a wife, LaKita Bush. USCA plans to plant a tree to honor Bush’s sacrifice.
Jordan wrote, “Please join me in a moment of silence to honor one of our Pacer Heroes who selflessly and compassionately answered the call of our community during this pandemic. As soon as we can, we plan to plant a tree in Joshua's memory during a campus-wide service in front of the School of Nursing.”
Students also shared memories of Bush on the USCA Student Life Facebook page.
Amanda Bates recalled memories with Bush in the lab. “Josh was always cracking jokes and making us laugh during lab. He agreed to be in full 80s workout gear for a project we had to do and he absolutely rocked it. He was just so easygoing.”
“He would have made an amazing nurse,” she concluded.
The most recent passing of a USCA student is Casey Sanders, a senior biology major, who passed Monday, April 20.
“Casey was an extremely outgoing young man and highly engaged across the institution. He would have completed his course of study on May 6,” Chancellor Jordan wrote in another official communication.
Sanders was a past president of fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha and served in several offices.
Rebecca Schander commented her experience with Sanders.
“Casey was always smiling I knew him through high school at south Aiken where he talked to everyone and it continued at usca he could light a room up,” Schander wrote.
A student, who wished to remain anonymous, provided a personal message on Sanders.
“Casey Sanders loved his family and two younger brothers with all his heart. He was an amazing man who would smile at a stranger, and lend a helping hand to anyone that needed it. He was so proud to be apart of the lambda chi alpha brotherhood and always will be. I wish I would have been able to get to know him sooner but the times we talked did so much for me. I know he will always be watching over us.
JP Hammond posted on his personal Facebook a message toward Casey Sanders.
“Casey, we might not have been from the same neighborhood, or even in the same brotherhood, but I know you created good wherever you were. You were a light at South Aiken, you changed lives at USCA. say hey to Skyler for me. I’ll see you on the other side.”
