For many students, June is a month that signifies the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. In the case of graduating students, the end of the school year means the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Unfortunately, the lives of two Caltech students were recently cut short as they were both victims of suicide shortly before the end of the term.
Sadly, senior Jackson Ho-Leung Wang, a mechanical engineering student from Hong Kong, died in his dorm room less than 48 hours before he was to receive his diploma, according to the article from the LA Times. His suicide followed that of junior Brian Go, a computer science and applied and computational mathematics major from Maryland who died just three weeks earlier.
A little about the two students, taken directly from other sites on the internet:
Jackson Wang [via HKSA, presumably written by himself in third person]:
Jackson (or Jack, take your pick) is just a regular Caltech student going about his normal business. During the year, half of his time is spent on pointless computations of stresses and strains. To cope with depression from inability to carry out these computations, he is known to escape to his favorite retreat, at the piano, to play 20th and 21st century classical music for hours on end, so at any given moment chances are he will be found there. He has also been observed to drown himself with boxes of Vitasoy. For a bit of trivia, insiders’ information has shown that he is prone to making random statements in French. If you are in the mood to please, a dish of authentic Kung Pao chicken has been shown to suffice, although in the case that all you have is the fake, you would be well advised to hold back.
Brian Go [via his own website]:
•I read Reddit, Reddit: Programming, and The Washington Post.
•I drive a 1974 Vespa 150 VBC Super.
•I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind, Angels and Airwaves, Maná, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Maroon 5, among others.
•I enjoy fencing and playing drums.
•My favorite books are For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Great Gatsby.
•I am an Eagle Scout from NCAC Boy Scout Troop 255.
•I am an avid player of the board game Diplomacy. My play record (all in-house games) is below.
-Aug 08 (Loss (England) to France, Germany, England).
-Jun 08 (Win: Austria, England, France),
-Mar 08 (Win: England, Russia, Austria, Turkey),
-Feb 08 (Win: Italy, England, Austria),
-Jan 08 (Win: Germany, Austria, France, Turkey),
-Dec 07 (Win: England, Austria, Turkey).
According to the L.A. Times:
In recent years, campus mental health problems have been rising nationally, a product of the growing stress of university life and the increasing number of students who arrive at college already under treatment for mental illness, university psychologists and officials say. Across the country, about 1,300 college students a year commit suicide, experts say.
Caltech has extensive counseling and suicide prevention services, and students seek help with problems ranging from mood and anxiety disorders to breakups.
Both of these suicides highlight the importance of an “institutional safety net” that schools should provide to for students in need of help. We may never know what motivated these two young men to take their own lives, but suicide is a recurring topic here on 8Asians because it is something that seems to afflict our community over and over again.
Condolences to the friends and loved ones of both Jackson and Brian; may they rest in peace.
h/t: Liz Fong
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24 Comments to “Caltech Suicide Victims, Both Asians”
momdoc wrote:
Caltech is known to be the most intense university for science academia (along with MIT) in the world. The best of the best reside here, teach and wander these famous halls, as many profs are Noble Prize laureates. The average sleep an undergraduate student at Caltech gets is 5-6 hours per night…not uncommon for any university student. The difference here is the scope and magnitude of work that must be assimilated in those 5-6 hours. This is the university of Einstein and Richard Feynman, and in order to “stand on the shoulders of giants”, one must absorb enormous amounts of pressure and not expect any slack be given.
I recently applied for a Public Health position at this school that would take a look at the constant strain of excelling at Caltech in order to help incoming Freshman deal with these stessors in a healthy manner. Well, I did not even get an interview, and my ideas for students maintaining mental, emotional and physical health while attending Caltech never attained fruition…I wonder if there was anything this position could have done to prevent these two students from taking their lives.
Caltech, please consider more than basic counseling…these kids could out talk any psychologist.
Posted on 28-Jun-09 at 1:51 am | Permalink
tiennguyen wrote:
You figure being such a small school–about 900 undergrads–would provide a great deal of individual attention to these kids..
Posted on 28-Jun-09 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
hksa wrote:
Please delete the pictures which are belonged to the owners. You do not have right to post them unless get the authorization from the owners. As to respect them or beloved one, it is not appropriate to post their photos without authorization. Please remove them ASAP.
Posted on 16-Jul-09 at 9:55 am | Permalink
ErnieAtLYD wrote:
I am going to defend JozJozJoz's use of their photographs on this blog entry. It is clear and apparent that the usage of the photographs is not meant to mock the students and is used in a respectful manner, and is showing that these victims are people, not statistics; an important thing to note since we hear about Asians and Asian Americans in relation to suicide time and time again.
In regards to photos and authorization, photos of Jackson — which is what I'm assuming you're referring to — are available on a publicly accessible website; additionally, the same photo has been used on other personal blogs in memorializing him. It's regrettable that you're going after our site inside of these other websites.
The suicides of these two Caltech students are tragic, but with issues of suicide and depression they are also preventable, and I appreciate you understanding that any attempts to anonymize their struggles makes the situation worse for Asian Americans considering suicide, not better.
Posted on 16-Jul-09 at 12:00 pm | Permalink
bo123456 wrote:
another student committed suicide today sad trend. God Bless his soul T. Pham
Posted on 22-Jul-09 at 11:26 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I don't under what mentality this article was written, but I would appreciate it if you got your facts right first. It's very infuriating to read stuff about friends that are completely untrue and especially in Jackson's case, seems to be making fun of him.
I don't know Brian that well, so I'm just going to correct you on Jackson's details. Firstly, computation of stresses and strains are important to the academic community and are not pointless at all. Although Caltech is stressful, it doesn't mean that the stuff we do is pointless. Also, Jackson was a brilliant person and had no trouble whatsoever coping with his academics. His source of stress/depression was not from academics. Also, he plays piano and drinks so much Vitasoy because he really liked them. Don't all people “drown” themselves in something? Lastly, Jackson died more than 48 hours before he was to receive his diploma.
It hurts friends and family when information about their loved one is being posted on random websites who did not seek authorization at all. It might be fine to inform others about suicide, but is it also fine to reveal details about their life that is not publicized and without authorization? Did it occur to you that his family and some friends don't want that information to be made public because it's part of their private memories that they cherish? Especially when the details are so absolutely inaccurate? Excluding whatever people you got the incorrect “inside information” from of course.
That being said, please remove or correct this post. Personal details are not required, and makes it seem like the work of the paparazzi. Thanks. I'll remove my comment if possible after you correct it so personal details are not revealed.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I am going to defend hksa on the usage of photographs on this blog entry. The photographs might have been used with no ill intention, but the usage itself is wrong and should be disallowed. The photographs may be available on a public website but that doesn't authorize the usage of them on other websites. I thought that was a well-known fact already. If other blogs are using them, then please let them know that they should not be using the photographs. The only exception is when the blogs belong to friends of Jackson who happen to have pictures of him, upon which the usage or not would depend on the blogger's own decision. And you might not know, but his parents are extremely angered by this usage of photographs, so it would be wise to respect their opinions!
You made the argument that anonymity of the victim's struggles makes the situation worse. Well, ask yourself, how do photographs help? Would seeing the person's face make someone give up suicide? Would knowing personal details about the person change anyone's mind about suicide? And especially when the personal details have no link at all to their suicides and are so inaccurate (see my other comment)? You guys don't know them. So do you have the right to talk about their lives which you don't know and didn't get accurate and authorized information about?
If you want to talk about their struggles that led to their suicide, sure, but do you know what really led to their deaths? The blogger herself said that she doesn't know the motivation for their suicides, so how does this post help anyone at all, besides letting people know that two students committed suicide at Caltech and no one knows why?
Please make anonymous any nonsensical and non-related information/photographs asap.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 6:45 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
As the author of this post, want to make it clear that I am not making fun of either of the victims here. I am sorry that you are misreading the intent of this post.
The descriptions of both victims were taken from other sources — both public websites — which are clearly attributed. In Jackson's case, HKSA is the original source. In Brian's case, his own website is the original source. In both cases, I think it is obvious that these descriptions were written while they were both still alive. If you have a problem with Jackson's description, please contact HKSA.
Regarding the timing of Jackson's death, the information that he died “48 hours before he was to receive his diploma” was taken from the Los Angeles Times, a reputable source. See http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/13/local/m...
If this incorrect, please cite the correct information and how I can verify it, instead of just telling me that it's “wrong.”
I reiterate, the so-called “personal details” that you are complaining about are sourced from OTHER AUTHORS; I did not make anything up. As Ernie stated above, the usage of the photographs and “personal details” is not meant to mock the students. It is important that we show that victims are people, not statistics.
I spent a lot of time looking for information about both students before I made that post because I think it would have been disrespectful to post a link about an article the two suicide victims without trying to also find out more about who they were as people. Because I was unable to find ways to contact Jackson and Brian's families (I did try), I looked to other reputable sources for information about them both.
If the families of friends of Jackson or Brian would like me to share “other information” about them so we can know more about them, please feel free to contact me directly and I would be happy to do profiles on each of them to do them the proper honor.
I can be reached through the “Contact Us” link on the bottom of every page of our site. Thank you.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 6:46 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I noticed that just now. It remains a fact that the information is incorrect and should not be used freely especially if you did not know these people and you don't know the accuracy of the information you are using. I will contact hksa and let them know about Jackson's case. The information from LA times is correct and reveals no personal information that only paparazzi would care about. Therefore discussing that is fine.
I maintain my point about the fact that revealing these personal details is unnecessary, uncalled for, and extremely insensitive. Hksa has a right to do it because Jackson was a part of them and they knew him, so in memory of him, they wrote a short paragraph. Regardless of its accuracy, I don't think you need to and should quote what they posted on their website. I didn't want to mention this, but his family is greatly upset with newspapers and people who didn't know Jackson posting information and photographs of him. So please respect their wishes!
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 6:54 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
Friends and family of Jackson would like you to remove personal details and photographs about Jackson. Fullstop. We have been through this issue at Caltech many times already so please respect his parents' and our decisions. I'm not sure what Brian's family thinks, but what if they have the same opinion?
And as I said, the information you quoted is inaccurate, so could you please remove it? I'll contact hksa separately about this. Also, Jackson's death occurred about 4-5 days before his graduation ceremony. I cite myself for this because I was there.
I understand that you had no ill intentions and didn't mean to communicate otherwise, but I don't think you understand the feelings of the friends and family of these students. Often, they do not wish details to be shared except on websites that knew these people personally. So please, please remove them. hksa itself has asked you to remove the photograph hasn't it? Thank you for considering our feelings.
I hope I don't have to comment anymore.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 7:05 pm | Permalink
huiling wrote:
I cannot believe you actually tried to contact their families. How insensitive can you get? I am so angry at you, or people like you, who have no regards for how the victim's family and friends feel. It is human nature to be curious, but this is so uncalled for. If it happened to your family, would you really want random people you don't know probing into your loved one's affairs?
With regards to jiaqguo's posts, I support her point. She tells you the details are wrong and yet you argue the sources are “reliable”. If XX himself says “ah I'm stupid”, will you post “XX is stupid.” Use your brains. Things like “drowning in vitasoy, etc are just exaggerations to make it funny, and yet you quote it directly without ANY processing. And because you don't clearly know which source is reliable, you should NOT spread the stories.
Please respect the friends and families of both parties. If this happens to someone personal to you, you would not want some person snooping around and posting details about them.
I have contacted the proper authorities, I don't know what they will do, but it would save both parties a lot of trouble if you corrected your post. Thank you.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 7:11 pm | Permalink
jjowdy wrote:
Photographs do help. They convey so much information about the vitality of these two lives lost. They also give a sense that these are two regular-seeming guys who somehow got trapped in despair, and that it could happen to anybody we know.
How is it disrespectful or dishonorable to celebrate these lives and maybe– just maybe– encourage a little more openness and awareness in general that might lead to conversations and interventions to prevent similar tragedies?
My condolences to the families and friends.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 7:12 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I'm sure without photographs and personal details they wouldn't seem like normal people. I see articles about deaths and suicides in the newspaper often, and I totally do not need photographs or personal information to sympathize with them and their familes.
Also, again and again, I'm telling you, the article has had no authorization to quote/use any information. The reason hksa can post a funny article in memory of Jackson is because they knew him. The reason this blogger shouldn't quote information and photographs, especially since the source itself has asked her to remove the photograph, is because this blogger did not know Jackson and did not get proper authorization from the source. Please do not deviate from this main point.
I'm getting pretty fed up at this point. Please respect our feelings. Thanks. I too respect this blogger's feeling of wanting to honor these two students.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 7:27 pm | Permalink
feedbucket wrote:
I'm pretty sure that the lack of “accuracy” on the HKSA page was done in jest — and written by Jackson himself. Maybe the nature of it all is getting lost in translation somehow.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 7:50 pm | Permalink
moye wrote:
How insensitive can you be for jumping to conclusions about Joz's intentions for contacting their families? Clearly from the tone of this post, which was to highlight the tragedy of the situation, she wasn't trying to reach out to them out of pure curiosity or just “snooping” to post extra details. Think about it. Wouldn't the tone of her post above be very different, if her whole point was to be a paparazzi or gossip monger?
I applaud her efforts in trying to bring more awareness about these sad deaths, and I'm very sorry that people like you believe that a blog like 8Asians, which strives to give a voice to the Asian Americans, would try to post something detrimental to our own community.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 8:07 pm | Permalink
moye wrote:
If you can't even verify your own claims, then how can we even believe that you are speaking on behalf of the friends and family of these men?
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 8:14 pm | Permalink
ErnieAtLYD wrote:
feedbucket: It's presumed – to me, anyway – that the bio is written by himself in third person, and that is the assumption by readers coming to this blog post. It shows he's self-effacing, and a real person. And guess what? That's not a bad thing – because he shows he's a real person – a GOOD person – and not just some countless statistic. That's JozJozJoz's intent, and I am going to defend her for this post.
But I can see how people can misconstrue that, and I want to thank you for pointing that out.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 8:20 pm | Permalink
ErnieAtLYD wrote:
jiaqiguo: I sympathize for your loss. That said, the information is directly sourced from the LA Times and other publicly accessible sources on the internet, and the post has been edited more clearly to reflect this. -Editor
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 6:32 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I meant that I am not an official source so how is she supposed to verify my claim. Please think before you post. Anyway, the proper authorities at Caltech have been contacted. I hope the blogger will consider our feelings and remove Jackson's details asap before it turns into a bigger problem. I am speaking on behalf of the friends and family because I was also involved in planning the memorial for Jackson. Please remove details. Now.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 10:35 pm | Permalink
jiaqiguo wrote:
I don't care what tone of voice the blogger was using or anything. I respect the blogger's intention and efforts, but now as a friend of Jackson's, I beseech you to remove the details because it is not our wish!
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 10:36 pm | Permalink
moye wrote:
Your statements just seem contradictory, as I see it as an unverifiable and unofficial source telling a blog what they should or shouldn't do.
I'm a bit confused about what you expect Caltech authorities to do about a simple post contains no defamatory or illegal information on an independent blog that is not associated with the school at all.
Anyway, good luck to you. I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend. It's a tragic situation that no one should have to go through, and it's sad to see this energy being spent on taking down such a harmless post.
Posted on 23-Jul-09 at 11:12 pm | Permalink
ErnieAtLYD wrote:
As the point of this post has now evolved to something tangential to the purpose and spirit of this blog post, I'm closing the blog post to new comments. However, I want to point out and emphasize the following points:
- The intent of JozJozJoz's post was to respect the two students, and yes, it is a mark of respect to treat these two people as people, who have left information about themselves on the publicly accessible internet – rather than anonymous statistics.
- What some commenters are this thread see as us slandering the person in question comes from a source from the HKSA page, available publicly, and is most likely written by the person himself, in third person, and that is the assumption by readers coming to this blog post. [As other members of HKSA have bios where members write in first person, this backs up the claim.] The intent for including this information is not to be malicious, because if this post WAS malicious in intent, not only would this post be written in a different way, but I wouldn't stand for this as the editor of 8Asians; in fact it's completely the opposite.
- As editor, the community of 8Asians is welcome to agree or disagree with the points in this blog post. This is neither, and I will not be forced by our community to edit content.
If anyone wishes to contact me as editor, I can be reached via the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the page. And even with this debate, I truly do want to give condolences to the families and friends of both Jackson and Brian.
Posted on 24-Jul-09 at 1:23 am | Permalink
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