Candlelight Vigil for Nepal Poster. (Courtesy of International Student Services)
By Omer Shamil, Opinions Editor
At 9:08 last night, in front of Penn Hall, the Gettysburg campus slowed down. Students circled up, candles in hand, and stood in silence. The time mattered; 9:08 pointed to September 8th, the day protests erupted in Nepal. It was such a small detail, but it made the whole gathering feel intentional, like even here, thousands of miles away, we could tie ourselves to that moment.
The protests in Nepal began as young people standing up against corruption and a government that thought banning social media would silence them. Instead, their voices grew louder. The response from the government was brutal. More than 30 lives lost, names, faces, families, not just numbers. And many more injured. Standing there last night, it hit me that vigils like this are about refusing to let those lives be reduced to statistics.
What stood out wasn’t just the cause, but the people who showed up. Students from every corner of campus, different backgrounds, different circles, all together for something bigger than ourselves. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. But that quiet presence said everything.
International Student Services Assistant Director Rebekah Hurwitz captured the feeling, saying, “There’s always a notion of actions speaking louder than words, and today such an occasion has shown us that they do.”
She was right. The action wasn’t in speeches or headlines. It was in showing up.
As I walked away, I realized this wasn’t only about Nepal. It was also about us — the kind of community we’re trying to build here. Last night reminded me that caring is an act, not a theory. That solidarity isn’t just sympathy. It’s showing up, over and over, even when it’s easier not to.
Because at the end of the day, the candles went out, the circle broke apart, and everyone drifted back to their lives. But the meaning lingers. The protests in Nepal are still ongoing. The families are still grieving. And our role — however small — is to remember, to keep paying attention, and to keep showing up. Even in Gettysburg, even in silence, we can choose to carry their struggle forward.
