Tributes have been made to a University of Nottingham student who has sadly passed away. On October 30, Daniel Duyungan, unexpectedly passed away at age 20, after he had started feeling unwell at a Halloween event with friends.
Daniel, of Stevenage, was in his second year studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Nottingham, and has been described as "well loved" by his friends and family. His mum, Linda Duyungan, said: "He was such a gentle soul, even me as a mum could feel that there was no aggressiveness in him, he was always very polite and tactful.
"When he was a kid, he liked tinkering, so I mentioned I think you would be very good for engineering. When all the kids were asked about what his ambitions are, he said he wanted to be an engineer just like his uncle."
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She explained that Daniel later became a member of his secondary school's robotics club in 2016. She said: "They joined a competition, they were considered the underdogs, never even considered to be a forerunner. On the final day of the competition the parents were allowed to watch, I realised he was the driver of the robot where he had to battle other robots and these obstacles.
"They came first place, which surprised everyone and then won the chance to go to and compete in America." After his GCSEs, Daniel studied a Btec in engineering where he secured a double distinction, which was more than enough for his university course requirements.
Linda explained that her son had always known what he wanted to do, and enjoyed studying at the university. She said: "When he received his email for his second year he showed me the list of subjects, and I was looking at the list of subjects he was going to have for the whole year.
"I was already intimidated. I asked him are you sure you can manage that, but for him his reaction, he was drooling, he looked at the curriculum like it was a buffet as he was just so excited.
"It's very frustrating for me. I still can't reconcile the fact that he's gone, and he had so many plans ahead of him." The university has described Daniel as a "popular" student who will be missed.
Professor Sam Kingman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, said: "We were heartbroken to learn the news of the sudden death of Daniel Duyungan. Daniel was a bright and talented student who was popular with both staff and his peers in our Faculty of Engineering, and he will be greatly missed.
"The tragic loss of a young life with such potential can be hard to comprehend and we are reaching out to our community to ensure that we do everything to support them at this difficult time. Our thoughts remain with Daniel's family and all those who loved him."
Following the news, Aby Bartolome, 23, who had known Daniel "his whole life", set up a Go Fund Me page to help the family with the funeral costs, where more than £10,300 has been raised by almost 500 donations.
When asked how she would describe Michael, Aby said: "He was a really outgoing sort of bubbly character. He was the type of person that would walk into a room and then would walk out and be friends with everyone there.
"He was the person that everyone would sort of gravitate towards if you were in a room with him. He was really into music, and had got into quite a few instruments.
"He made different mixes on SoundCloud and liked making his own music and composing things as well." When asked about the amount of money that had been raised since she set up the fundraiser, Aby added: "We were just doing it to help his family with all of the funeral costs and associated costs, but I think it just goes to show how much of an impact he actually made on people he met.
"I think within the community, both in Nottingham and in Stevenage, a lot of people were affected by it." Linda said that she and her family are "surprised" by all of the support the fundraiser has received.
She said: "We were surprised how quickly it just gained attention. Even from school, and all his classmates around here.
"He was well loved, he was not the type of person that they would think would pass on so early. Even the messages that are left there, some are from his teachers and one is his robotics coach.
"It's heart-warming, it's my source of comfort at the moment. I didn't realise how many friends, or more so how many lives he had really touched.
Linda added: "He's just too good to stay in this world, and heaven called him early."
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