UCSD police are calling Tran’s death an apparent suicide, but investigation is still underway pending a formal determination by the medical examiner’s office. This could take about three weeks, according to UCSD Police Sgt. Robert Jones.

Tran was a bioengineering major and a Regents Scholar.

Numerous friends have spoken out about their memories of Tran to celebrate his life and accomplishments.

“”He was a great man in every sense of the word. Bryan was there in times of need, and he was never afraid to lend a helping hand, even if it meant going out of his way,”” Revelle junior Kian Salehizadeh said. “”His untimely death has been a great loss, not only to me, but to all of us in his close-knit group of friends. A part of me has departed with him, and I am doubtful it will ever return.””

Other friends spoke of Tran’s readiness to help out in every way he could.

“”I never knew a problem that Bryan couldn’t solve, whether it was calculus, physics or some random computer problem that popped up,”” Revelle junior Niheer Patel said. “”Not only could he solve the problem, but he went out of his way to make sure I would never be caught off-guard again. During late-night review sessions for physics quizzes, experiments we performed in the res halls, or even casual conversation, Bryan always knew. He even knew the shortest way to Warren from Revelle during first quarter physics, when I had no idea that Warren even existed.””

Some friends shared stories of numerous projects Tran undertook.

“”It was always fun to talk to him about all of his projects that ranged from photography to downloading, to journalism to graphic design,”” Thurgood Marshall College junior and fellow bioengineering major Alexander Varond said. “”His Web page shared his life projects with the world, and we always talked about the crazy projects that he would undertake. For instance, he made an entire map of the UCSD campus and hyperlinked every part of the campus to a picture that he had taken of that place. He measured the distances within 0.006-mile accuracy between each landmark using his bicycle speedometer.””

Many of his friends said they looked up to Tran.

“”I saw so much potential in him and I looked up to him as a role model,”” Varond said. “”He taught me to explore life, be dedicated, find the things that I love and try my hardest at them.””

Marshall junior Bernard Chung, a high school classmate, also spoke of his admiration for Tran.

“”I saw Bryan as a reserved genius, because he pretty much knew how to solve anything and was always on top of his work,”” Chung said. “”He did not take life as a joke, but took it to the fullest. It was a joy talking to him about movies, sports and anything else that we could think of. I loved reading his Web page. It was a work of art with beautiful photography, intricate graphic designs and articles of writing that would qualify to be outstanding journalism.””

Patel, who is a resident advisor at Matthews Apartments, said he had been talking to students residing at Matthews who knew Tran. Patel was also a friend of Tran’s for over two years.

“”Bryan, without a doubt, had the purest soul. There never seemed to be a shred of anger toward anyone,”” Patel said. “”As quiet as he was, he was the one we called upon when no one knew the answer, and, every time, he was willing to drop what he was doing and make our lives just a little bit easier. Even now, just thinking about him makes difficult times just a little bit easier.””

Counselors from Psychological Services and Counseling will be present at the candlelight vigil.

“”We still don’t know what happened, and we will handle it with respect and privacy,”” said Reina Juarez, director of Psychological Counseling and Services. “”We welcome students to call us whether as an individual or for the group process called Œcritical incident debriefing.’ This is really stress management and by participating in this group, the stress of the drama that is not understood can be processed.””

Juarez encouraged students to call (858) 534-3755 for free counseling. Counselors are on call 24 hours a day.

A memorial service with friends and family will be held on Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. in San Jose, Calif. at the Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park.