Today@Sam Article
Raven’s Call: Gone But Not Forgotten
April 5, 2021
SHSU Media Contact: Wes Hamilton
Story by: Mikah Boyd
Raven’s Call is the annual ceremony that honors the lives of students, faculty and staff who have died within the previous year. The Orange Keys, SHSU’s official student ambassadors, host the event which will honor those who passed between March 1, 2019 – February 28, 2021, combining honorees from last year’s canceled ceremony with those being recognized this year.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, the ceremony was pre-recorded and will be broadcasted on the Raven’s Call website on Friday, April 9.
Amanda Lee, vice president of programming for the Orange Keys, was thankful to the university for allowing her to take part in this event.
“Being able to help facilitate this event brings thankfulness and humbleness to my mind,” Lee said. “I’m thankful for this university that continues to reach out to those who are on campus and those who have already started a new life elsewhere. The connectedness continues to push me to stay involved and give each day 110%.”
Lee finds that Raven’s Call is bigger than any one organization or group, it is about bringing people together and honoring our Bearkat family.
“Putting on this event is more than this group. It is about honoring those who we lost in our Bearkat family and honoring the families who lost someone so dear to them,” Lee said. “I believe this event is by far one of the most important events to fully encompass what it means to be in the outreach of the Bearkat family.”
The university tradition helps to bring students and community together in a time of need. Lee has found that this tradition brings everyone closer as Bearkats and their families remember those we have lost.
“Because this tradition is so rich, I do believe it brings us even closer. Connecting with the families, hosting the ceremony, and honoring those whose lives we have lost is something that we want to serve and continue to do for our Bearkat family,” Lee said. “There is not a year that goes by when I watch Raven’s Call that I do not feel an overwhelming sense of thankfulness and solidarity as we honor our Bearkats.”
Raven’s Call also serves as a reminder that being a Bearkat goes beyond time spent on campus as a student.
“Being a Bearkat does not stop when you graduate,” Lee said. “We are Bearkats for life.”
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