JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (ABP) — An international student at Carson-Newman College died Aug. 23 from injuries she received in an attack on a street in Senegal.
Du-Jae (D.J.) Lee was a Carson-Newman student for only a year, but she made a strong impression on those who knew her, the Baptist college said in a statement. remembering her for her joyful personality and deep Christian faith.
On Aug. 13, Lee was in Senegal, the African nation where her parents serve as independent Presbyterian missionaries. She was helping a friend hail a cab on a nearly deserted street when a man grabbed her from the rear seat of a passing Mercedes sedan.
She was dragged down the street until the attackers decided just to steal her purse. As she was pushed away from the vehicle, she hit her head on the pavement and suffered massive trauma. She underwent surgery Aug. 15 but later died from her injuries.
“Our students are trying to deal with the shock of Du-Jae's death,” noted Campus Minister Jim Wilson, who said various college services were offering counseling and emotional and spiritual support “as students deal with this tragic loss of their friend and colleague.”
As a multilingual “missionary kid,” D.J. — as she was called — was gifted at making friends and crossing cultural boundaries. She was born in Bonn, Germany, had South Korean citizenship, listed Dakar, Senegal, as her home address, and came to school in East Tennessee.
“We had an English class with her,” recalled Nicholas Hodge of Morristown, Tenn., pointing at his friend Josh Warren. “After that first class, we walked her back to her dorm. And so from day one we've just been hanging out.”
“She was so smart she used to help me with my English papers,” Nicholas said.
“D.J. took everything light-heartedly,” said Warren of Fuquay-Varina, N.C. “She could laugh at herself.”
An art major, D.J. was known for her keen abilities. “Some of our friends have a dry erase board with a couple of drawings she did. They hung onto it because it was so good,” said Hodge.
“D.J. was a star student and one of the best freshman students I have ever had,” said Julie Rabun, a graphic arts professor who was D.J.'s adviser. “Her work was consistently above average. She was not willing to turn in a project that was not up to the standards she set for herself.”
“D.J. was a vibrant Christian with a love of life and friends, which she celebrated daily,” he concluded. “She will be greatly missed, but her Christian witness will live on as a tribute to her life.”
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— Photo available from Associated Baptist Press.