By Brooke Moody & Eiman Zuberi–

Last Sunday, family and friends gathered to remember Najam Mughal, a junior at U of L, who passed away on Jan. 1. The visitation hall was packed with hundreds of students and friends who came to pay their respects, including many of his brothers from the Kentucky Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“Fryberger freshman year will always remind me of the endless practices we had joking around with him,” said Edwin Parrillas. “He was the one pointing at us when “I’ll Make a Man Out Of You” from Mulan played.  I can still hear his laugh and see his beautiful smile.”

Mughal was also active on campus as a member of SAB, Freshmen Lead and Habitat for Humanity. He was known for his shining personality and willingness to help anyone in need.

“Najam was the type of guy to drop whatever he was doing to help a friend. He would selflessly carry on the burdens of his friends and family as if they were his own,”  said junior Diana Lalata.

Lalata recalls a night Mughal went out of his way to make her feel better. “I was feeling down one night and asked him to come pick me up to drive around Louisville and talk,” Lalata said. “He asked to borrow his friend’s car and pretended it was his, just so he could be there for me. He covered up the fact that he didn’t have his own car just so he could ‘be cool,’ but he really was the coolest guy I knew, car or no car.”

“The world will never forget his contagious laugh or smile. To know Najam was to know joy,” said Lalata.

Mughal was known as someone who helped other people enjoy life. Cooper Bell, a long-time friend, recalls Mughal’s great sense of humor, “He was a goof from the start and was always laughing and smiling, never not happy.”

Bell and Mughal met in middle school where Mughal played basketball. “He loved basketball. He was the manager on the basketball team and got to play a bit during the season and I’ve never seen someone so happy,” said Bell.

Years later Bell and Mughal became brothers when they joined the same fraternity, which Bell equates to their lasting friendship.

“Najam valued friendships more than anything in life. He sacrificed things just to be with us. In the end, he was the reason I chose SigEp.”

Members of the fraternity will hold a vigil Friday, Jan. 8 in Mughal’s memory.