Sad news about a member of our community
To the members of the MIT community,
It breaks my heart to tell you that I learned today of the death of Phoebe Wang. A sophomore in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, she came to us from Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania. At MIT, Phoebe was a very active member of MacGregor House and played flute in the MIT Symphony Orchestra. Her friends treasured her curiosity, her quirky sense of humor and her passion for music, origami and the performance art known as poi.
As Phoebe's family and close friends face this tragic loss, please join me in extending our deepest sympathy. The death of a young person is always a shock, and in recent months we have lost too many of our cherished students and dear friends. I encourage you to take time to reach out to those around you. A sense of connection, kindness and sympathy can make even the most difficult situations a little easier to bear.
The Institute's full range of student support and mental health services is available to all members of the MIT community, and information is accessible via together.mit.edu. Undergraduate students can contact Student Support Services at 617-253-4861, members of their house team and their advisors. Graduate students can reach out to Graduate Personal Support staff in the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education at 617-253-4860, and their housemasters.
I encourage all members of the MIT community who feel affected by this death to contact Mental Health Services at 617-253-2916 during the day, or 617-253-4481 during nights and weekends.
In sympathy,
L. Rafael Reif