The world will now always remember the coordinated attacks in Paris this past Friday night, where at least 129 people were killed. Six separate sites were targeted, and left France, as well as the world, saddened.

The tragedy hit closer to home when the identity of a student studying abroad and killed during the attacks was Nohemi Gonzalez, a junior at California State University, Long Beach. Nohemi was the first American victim to be identified.

The 16 other CSULB students studying abroad in France are safe according to a press conference held on Saturday, where CSULB President Jane Conoley, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, and Design Professor Michael LaForte gave a few remarks on Nohemi’s passing.

Shock, disbelief, and grief hit the community of California State University, Long Beach, a tight-knit community of students and faculty that came together to mourn the loss of the 23-year-old Industrial Design student this past Sunday on campus.

Hundreds of students, faculty, alumni, and mourners gathered together, so many that not everyone could fit into the campus ballrooms where the speakers were honoring Nohemi’s memory. Speakers were placed directly outside of the University Student Union so those in attendance could hear the ceremony, which included testimony from faculty and design students that knew Nohemi, as well as her boyfriend and family.

In testimonials from faculty and her fellow peers, Nohemi was described as an uplifting mentor, a bright, creative design student, and dedicated to her work at the university. She worked in order to finance her study abroad in France.

Tanya Flores, a fellow design major, read messages from other students still studying in Paris, and said, “Nohemi, rest in peace little one. You will always be remembered and present in our lives. Don’t forget to design some badass stuff in heaven, like you always did.”

Nohemi’s boyfriend of four years, Tim Mraz, gave a heartfelt speech, relaying her quirks, personality, and her love for life.

“She would have loved this, and hated this at the same time,” Tim said of the ceremony, “because she wasn’t one to like all the attention…see this babe, all these people here for you? They’re all here for you.”

Nohemi’s family, who tenderly called her Mimi for short, thanked the attendees for their support. Jose Hernandez, her stepdad, spoke on behalf of his wife Beatriz for the ceremony: “We are here because Mimi is in our hearts. Mimi is not dead, Mimi is right here – Mimi is on Beatriz’s heart, today, tomorrow, forever.”

The ceremony was followed by a candlelight vigil as the sun set on campus, as the Bob Cole Conservatory singers paid her tribute.

Conoley said it best in her opening to the ceremony: “Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that’…our Beach community pledges as well to continue our efforts to be a light illustrating that diverse communities can live together, learn from one another, and be curious about and respectful of differences, and build a world based on connections and celebrations of humanity’s achievements.”

The Beach community and the community of Long Beach truly came together in a show of support and solidarity, not only to honor the life of Nohemi, but to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.