Updated: Weinberg junior Alyssa Weaver dies while studying abroad in London

Weinberg+junior+Alyssa+Weaver+died+Wednesday+while+studying+abroad+in+London.+In+a+statement%2C+Associated+Student+Government+said+she+will+be+profoundly+missed.

Source: Alyssa Weaver's Facebook profile

Weinberg junior Alyssa Weaver died Wednesday while studying abroad in London. In a statement, Associated Student Government said she will be “profoundly missed.”

Paulina Firozi, Campus Editor

Weinberg junior Alyssa Weaver died Wednesday while studying abroad in London.

The 20-year-old was studying visual cultures at Goldsmiths College at the University of London.

Northwestern notified the University community about Weaver’s death in an email Friday night.

“On behalf of the University, I extend our sympathies to Alyssa’s family and to her friends here at Northwestern,” wrote Patricia Telles-Irvin, vice president for student affairs. “The loss of one of our students affects all of us who are members of the Northwestern community.”

Telles-Irvin said the University has been told no other student on the same study abroad program is in danger.

Associated Student Government also sent out a statement extending its sympathies on behalf of the NU student body.

“In times like these, we must also lean on our fellow Wildcats,” ASG said. “The loss of one of us is a loss for all of us. It is more important now than ever that we show united support for all members of our extended Northwestern family.”

Arcadia University, which coordinates some NU options for international education, sent an email to students participating in Weaver’s program at 1:42 p.m. CST Friday informing them of her death. The email did not disclose when or how Weaver died.

“It is with regret that we write to inform you that one of our students in London studying at Goldsmiths College, Alyssa Weaver from Northwestern University, recently passed away,” the email said.

Student Affairs officials will meet with members of Weaver’s sorority, Chi Omega, when they return from Thanksgiving break Sunday night, Telles-Irvin said.

“She was an invaluable member of our chapter,” Chi Omega president Hailey Arterburn said in a statement. “Alyssa brightened everyone’s day with her unyielding enthusiasm and contagious smile. Alyssa had a vibrant personality and was driven to follow her dreams. She gave so much of herself and made such an impact on everyone she met. She was loved by her family and friends and will be dearly missed.”

Weaver went to Maury High School in Norfolk, Va., and was studying art history and chemistry at Northwestern, according to her Facebook page. For the 2011-2012 academic year, Weaver was awarded the J.G. Herder Prize for the best paper in the first two years in philosophy, for her work titled “Beneficence.”

Arcadia University is ranked as the No. 1 university in the U.S. for study abroad programs, with the highest percentage of undergraduate students in programs at master’s level schools, according to the Institute of International Education. The school hosts multiple study abroad programs for NU students.

Officials from Arcadia and the University of London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This story has been updated to reflect additional information about the email that Arcadia sent to Weaver’s classmates Friday. The story has also been updated to include Arterburn’s statement.