Bye, Butterfly

“I am a social butterfly, and I am 10 times nicer in summer,” was how the late AUC student Rawan El Sayed described herself just last February in a video introducing herself to her new classmates. Six months later, on August 15, she departed our world at the height of her favorite season of the year. El Sayed may have left the world, but she etched a profound mark on those around her. As her loved ones mourn her departure, they find solitude in how she touched them and the memories they shared with her during the short 21 years she graced our world. 

El Sayed was a junior majoring in Film and Communication and Media Arts (CMA), and minoring in Accounting; according to her professors, she studied what she loved, and her work was a testament to her passion. 

“The amount of hard work and dedication she put into the project was uncanny, and it was all reassuring with the last comment she left me, ‘It was really fun … I enjoyed the project’,” said Lobna Khairy, El Sayed’s former journalism and mass communication professor. 

Her professors enjoyed her company in and outside of the class, emphasizing that they will always cherish the conversations they once had.

“This is heartbreaking news. I enjoyed working with Rawan in the class she took with me — she contributed a lot to the classroom environment. I will especially remember our conversations about the films of Youssef Chahine, which we both admired,” shared El Sayed’s former AUC professor Brian J. Bowe, currently chair of the journalism department at Western Washington University. 

Film was her passion, but with a zest for life, she ventured into different activities throughout her lifetime, remembered as having a bright outlook on life.

“Rawan was a breath of fresh air. She was always welcoming, positive, and just overall really pleasant. I’ll always remember her warm smile. She will be deeply missed,” shared Nadine El Sayed, her former journalism and mass communication professor.. 

El Sayed will not only be remembered as a student, but she will be remembered as a daughter, a sister, and a friend.

“She was one of the most cheerful and inspiring souls I’ve ever met. She was literally the true friend everyone wishes to have; may her soul rest in peace,” said Roba El Omary, El Sayed’s friend, and a journalism and mass communication alumna.