Former Syracuse University graduate student remembered as dedicated, determined
Updated August 2, 2010
When Gustavo ‘Alex’ Zuniga was asked to reshoot a group project for his film class, he didn’t walk away like another person might have.
‘He was very determined, he wasn’t willing to give up,’ said professor Tula Goenka, who taught Zuniga film making last spring. ‘He persevered. Many people in those situations would just walk away, but he wasn’t like that.’
His dedication and focus is now what she will remember Zuniga for, Goenka said.
The former Syracuse University graduate student died July 19 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, according to SU officials. Zuniga crashed his motorcycle Sunday in New Jersey.
Zuniga graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications this summer with a master’s degree in television, radio and film. At the time of the accident, Zuniga was participating in the Turner Fellowship program and interning at the Turner Broadcasting System. His peers and professors remember him as someone who was friendly, approachable and always willing to help out.
Goenka, along with another SU professor and two SU graduate students, attended Zuniga’s wake Friday and memorial service Saturday in his hometown of Hillsdale, N.J.
Sara Brodowski, a media management graduate student, had classes with Zuniga during the Fall 2009 semester. She said he was a friend she could count on to cheer her up during stressful times. She remembered studying the night before her final in their film business class and, feeling unprepared, calling Zuniga for help.
‘It was already late but he told me to just come over and that (he) would review with me all night up until the final that next morning. We pulled at all-nighter and we did well in that class,’ Brodowski said.
Brodowski described Zuniga as an honest, hardworking friend — someone who ‘never judged, never made you feel useless.’
She said those in the TRF graduate program had formed a type of family and would gather for movie or video game nights. The group was deeply saddened to hear the news of Zuniga’s death, Brodowski said.
‘One thing that Gustavo will always be remembered for is his laugh. He had a deep, distinctive, contagious laugh. It was probably one of the best laughs I have ever heard,’ Brodowski said.
Brodowski attended Zuniga’s services over the weekend, where his girlfriend spoke. She said Zuniga’s girlfriend told those who gathered that every time she and Zuniga planned to meet after time away he would surprise her before she found him.
‘He wasn’t just 100 percent, he was at 150 percent in everything he did,’ Brodowski said.
Rebecca Marshall, a graduate student in Zuniga’s program and a close friend, also said he was a friend she could count on no matter what.
He would often step up when it came to working with others on class projects. Once when the two were working a research project last fall, he noticed she was falling asleep and, even though it was past two in the morning, Zuniga offered to finish up the project, Marshall said.
‘He would just stay up all night long to get the work done,’ she said.
Marshall said Zuniga was always looking to make people laugh, and his ideal job was to be a comedy producer.
But what she will miss most about Zuniga was the friend she could always count on, she said. When her grandfather died in February, Zuniga was the friend who took care of her. He invited her over at 10 p.m. and spent the night distracting her from her grief, she said.
‘He just talked to me, so I didn’t have to be sad,’ she said.
She said she will miss her understanding friend and does not know who can fill the void left by his death.
Larry Elin, associate professor of television, radio and film, taught Zuniga this past spring for Communications Frontiers. With 11 students in the class, Elin said he was able to get to know Zuniga, who would also drop into Elin’s office to talk about his future career. He said he was impressed with Zuniga’s ability to delve into an article from the Wall Street Journal and could always count on Zuniga for his insight.
‘In class, when things started to get quiet or the other students seemed kind of lethargic, I could always look to Gustavo, raise my eyebrows a little, and he’d get things going,’ he said.
Elin, who attended the weekend services, said he was told Zuniga was an organ donor. He said he thought this was fitting of his former student, who he described as a ‘big-hearted guy.’
‘They told us that his heart was donated to a man who needed a transplant,’ Elin said. ‘It’s so like him, so fitting. There is comfort in the knowledge that his heart still beats.’
This article originally stated Zuniga died on Wednesday, July 21, as stated by the SU News e-mail. The actual date of death was Monday, July 19. The Daily Orange regrets this error.
Published on July 27, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride
