UNG Remembers Day honors two students

The University of North Georgia (UNG) will hold UNG Remembers Day on two campuses April 24. This is the seventh year the university has held a ceremony to recognize and celebrate the lives of the students who have passed away while enrolled at UNG during the last academic year.

"UNG Remembers Day is a special opportunity to recognize members of our community who left us too soon. It allows UNG to expand the footprint of our community and embrace these families who shared their loved one with us," Dr. Alyson Paul, vice president for Student Engagement and Success, said.

This year, campus communities, family members and friends will gather to remember Drake Paul Cook, who passed away March 15, and Marcus "Hayes" Guzman, who died Feb. 2. 

"The tradition of UNG Remembers Day began in 2017. Since then, we've set aside time on the last Wednesday of the spring semester to memorialize students who died during the academic year," Dr. Michelle Brown, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students at UNG's Oconee Campus, said.  

At the Oconee Campus, the service remembering Guzman will be held at noon in Room 581 of the Student Resource Center, and Cook will be honored at 5 p.m. at the Memorial Wall outside Memorial Gym at the Dahlonega Campus.

"As a closely connected community, this ceremony reminds us of how the lives of all members of the UNG family are interwoven, and that the loss of one person can impact so many others in direct and indirect ways," Dr. John Delaney, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, said.

Family members and friends are invited to the event, where faculty and staff may share thoughts about the students who have died.

The names of the young men will be added to the memorial marker on their home campus.

Guzman, a Lakeside High School alumnus, enrolled at UNG in fall 2019 and completed 56 hours in pursuit of an Associate of Arts degree on the business administration pathway. Hayes was from Decatur, Georgia.

Cook also enrolled in fall 2019 and was scheduled to graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in management. 

The families of both students will be presented with posthumous degrees.