Tributes

“I spent the summer with Henoch in Jordan, where we were both interning together. The one thing that always struck me about Henoch was his goofy smile; you could not go one conversation with him without breaking out into a grin. He was sweet, considerate, fun, and always willing to try something new, which made for a great adventure companion – one who I will terribly miss. Henoch is someone I will always admire and respect, and I will treasure the moments we had. I hope you’re finally sitting on Mars, friend.”
– M. D.

“I got to know Henoch this past summer when we worked together. I remember thinking that we were lucky to have him – he was so friendly and upbeat in his understated way. He had an easy and generous way of grinning at you; it always brightened my day. I’m grateful for the short time I had with him. The pain of his loss goes deep, but the joy of having known him goes deeper.”
– A. M., liwwa

“I had the pleasure of meeting Henoch in Jordan this summer. During the ten weeks that I spent with him, both at work and outside, we created many memories together. Henoch and I sat opposite each other and I will always remember the intellectual and humorous conversations that I had with him. He was always willing to help and offer his advice whenever I needed it and I was truly inspired by the breadth of his knowledge. Outside of work, I spent countless hours with Henoch at his apartment watching movies and having pizza. Perhaps my most prized memory of Henoch is our trip to the Dead Sea, where he managed to keep our group entertained throughout the trip. With his passing, I have not only lost a co-worker but a dear friend. I’m grateful for the time that I spent with Henoch and he will always be in my thoughts.”
– M. A., UPenn

 “I made friends with Henoch this past summer where we both interned in Amman-Jordan. I shared many happy moments with Henoch. We traveled together in a group of five to Petra and Wadi Rum and spent the two most beautiful days in the desert. Since the first couple of days of my arrival to Amman and Henoch has been very kind to offer his help. He went above and beyond to connect me with several landlords to find me an apartment. He was just the type of guy who would give without expecting a return. From many conversations with Henoch, he seemed to love and enjoy what he was doing. He loved coding and was happy to practice this passion during the internship. He was a smart guy and had high ambitions to pursue his Masters degree.”
– N. S. G.

Henoch and I were in the same pledge class for SAE, and I am glad to say I knew him, not merely as a person, but as a brother. I will always remember his affable nature and kind heartedness. We will all truly miss him.
– R. W.

I admire Henoch’s interest in the intersection of economics and computer science. He was smart, driven and creative. He will be greatly missed by the MIT Bitcoin Club. 

Henoch will be missed and never forgotten. My sincerest condolences for you in this time.
– M. T.

I am deeply sorry for your loss. While I was not close with Henoch for too long, I can confidently say that I never saw him without a smile on his face, and that is a hard trait to find in people nowadays. 

Henoch was such a lovely person. He always made others feel better and more positively. He always lit up a room wherever he went with his charm and gorgeous smile. I miss him so much. He was very passionate about his living communities and the student groups he was a part of and it was inspiring. I am grateful for having the chance to be his friend because he certainly left a very positive impact on my life and the lives of many others. I will always love him. I’m sending all my love your way, now and forever. 

I will always remember Henoch’s smile as I passed him in the courtyard. I hope that the fact that Henoch was known and loved by so many can ease some of the pain you must be feeling. I am so, so sorry this happened. 

There was something special about Henoch. I had only met him a few weeks ago, but my conversations with him showed me just what a kind and caring presence he was. I always saw him with a calm smile on his face, and his presence at fraternity meetings was relaxing in and of itself.

I will miss Henoch, as will everyone who knew him and, indeed, everyone who didn’t, especially at a place where he could have had the opportunity to leave a serious positive impact on the world – to help those who may not be able to help themselves. I only wish I had gotten the chance to talk with him more, to be his brother and his friend, to show him how much he mattered and just what an influence he was to those around him.
– A. K.

I am very sorry for your loss. Henoch was a valuable and loved part of our community and he will be missed. 

Henoch has already made tremendous impacts on people around him and on this world despite his short time here. At least for me, and many of his other friends here, MIT won’t ever be the same without him. He was a bright young man, please be proud of him for what he has brought to us, rather than grieving about what could have been. 

Henoch was a wonderful person, and I am grateful for the time I got to know him when we explored the tunnels of MIT together one night. He was very kind and passionate, and all of East Campus really, really misses him. 

The few times I’ve met Henoch I walked way thinking, “what a great guy.” I’m a former Senior House resident, which means I’ve let a lot of people with different personalities, different interests, different forms of expression, but Henoch was one of the few people I’ve met that struck me as genuinely good. Funny, smart, we were never close but I can still remember his smile. I’m so sorry that your son is gone. I don’t know what to say other than I think your son was a fantastic person and that I only ever felt like was an immensely positive presence.
– P. D.

I first met Henoch when we attended a karate class together. He was so quick with picking up the moves and forms. I was like, wow, Henoch is so good at it and learns so fast. Although he joined Taekwondo later, because we both lived in East Campus, we had lots of fun and conversations later in the freshman year too. We even talked in Chinese a little bit sometimes because he wanted to practice.

Henoch was a very kind person and my sunshine when I felt upset. I’m very sorry about your loss. I hope all of you can feel better as time goes on. Although Henoch is gone, we will always remember him and the time he spent with us.
– J. M.

I knew Henoch from the Skydiving club, and I am so very sad that he is now gone. I grieve with you and send my condolences.
– A. T.

Henoch always smiled and made people around him laugh. He always had something insightful to say in debates. This came as such a surprise. I will miss him dearly. 

I can’t seem to put in words the kind of person Henoch was. He was an inspiration and an example to follow for me with his trading experience at such a young age. when he told me about his interests in Bitcoin and when we had discussions about it. But saying he was just an inspiration wouldn’t do just to the very kind and warm person he was. It was always easy to start off a conversation with him. He was a calm person, and had this warm smile. He was a great a friend. I will always keep him in my heart. Please, accept my condolences. 

My condolences for your loss. Will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. 

I did not know Henoch well, but he was in my recitation for history last year and he was always so thoughtful, engaged, insightful, and friendly. He made the lives of all of us in that recitation a little fuller and more thoughtful. I am so sorry for your unimaginable loss. I know all of us on campus are thinking of you, grieving with you, and doing our best to honor Henoch. Even though he only touched my life briefly, I know I will never forget his kindness and insightfulness. 

Henoch, I didn’t know you especially well, but what I did know about you was that you had a joyous soul. You always had a smile on your face and a joking mentality (in a good way). In Taekwondo, I knew you to be an attentive student and a tough competitor. You had a lot of life left to live, and I am sorry that you will not have the chance to do so.

To Henoch’s family, you have my deepest condolences. No family should have to bury their child. I pray for your strength and healing in this difficult time.
– C. W.

I just wanted to let you guys know that, although I only knew him from taekwondo, I really enjoyed seeing him at practice. He was a really great guy with a lot of bright smiles. I, along with a lot of other members of the tkd club, are stunned by this and will be thinking of him often.
– A. W.

I am so sorry for your loss. Henoch and I were good friends, both as a fellow member of the MIT Taekwondo Team and as final project partners for a class last semester. Between training together for months and spending weekly late nights working on our project, Henoch and I developed a great friendship. Henoch was a great leader and a brilliant programmer, and everyone who knew him, including myself, misses him greatly. The loss came as a great shock to me, and it’s still difficult to really accept that he’s really gone. I just hope you know that Henoch meant a lot to us, and his memory will carry on in our minds as a strong, brilliant teammate and a loyal friend.
– J. M.

My name is Dan and I was Henoch’s Taekwondo instructor. I just wanted to express my condolences to you. Henoch was a part of the team last year. Although I didn’t get to know him well, I saw that he was a gentle soul who also found something in the taekwondo club that he really enjoyed. One memory of him from last year was that he initially had trouble kicking the targets hard. He wasn’t committing his weight and as a result, not kicking hard enough to score. After losing a match at the Brown tournament in the fall, he came back in the spring and was able to kick harder with some work and encouragement, and was able to win his first match in the spring at the University of Vermont in April against a much bigger opponent! My memory of Henoch is that he was quiet but when I engaged him and talked to him, he was thoughtful and very much taking it all in. Our Sport Taekwondo club grieves his loss with you.
– D.

Hello. My name is Michelle (also known as Machine) by the Sport Taekwondo club members. I had the privilege of teaching Henoch over the past year in Taekwondo. I will always remember how hard he worked and his presence in the club.

I’m fortunate to have known him in the brief time. I want to express my sadness for your loss. I’m sorry 🙁 He will be missed.
– M. C.

Henoch was such a positive presence in the taekwondo club and his loss is felt deeply among our community. I am so sorry for your loss. He was a great person.
– E. Z.

Tributes from Relatives & Friends

Henoch– Best friend, cousin, brother. Even now I’m remembering his contagious laugh. Just like Solomon and Nahu Argaw up together, Henoch and I matured together. We learned from each other’s mistakes, learned the difference between right and wrong. He was there when I moved here from Ethiopia, helping me adapt to the new culture. He was always just there. I could always count on him.

I remember the first time Henoch got a speeding ticket. We had all made plans to meet at Southlands and watch a movie after school. At the time, I hadn’t gotten my license yet and did not have a ride. I asked Henoch to pick me up from school and he did not even hesitate to say yes. On our way, we were running late and driving faster than we should have been and got pulled over. I just knew thinking about how he picked me up and how he got pulled over that even if I asked him the next day for a ride he still wouldn’t have hesitated. That’s the kind of person Henoch was. He was completely selfless and kind. What had mattered to him was not the hour detour or the possible risk, it was that I would not be left out and that I would be able to be with everyone. His goal was always to make sure no one felt left out.

Even more than that he was compassionate, finding a way to relate to people pains, struggles, and hurts. I used to have chronic headaches when I was younger and Henoch made sure that I had enough water, that the lights in the room weren’t too bright or that the TV wasn’t too loud. He always had a heart for everyone. Always giving rides to those who couldn’t make it to an event, always offering to pay for someone. And doing all this, he never expected praise or returned favor.

A lot of you probably know Henoch and I are the same age, he was only two months older than me, but for some aspects in my life, Henoch had been a role model for me. I’ve always loved God, but it was Henoch that taught me to search out the heart of God. Henoch had taken upon himself at the age of 10 or so to read the whole bible. Seeing this had inspired me to start reading the word of God; to really learn about and witness the God I was told about since I was young.

Henoch always convicted my heart. (Henoch convicted my heart). He challenged me to love to people the way the Father loves them and to value people the way the Father values them.

My promise to Henoch, to honor his life, is to be intentional with the people around me. It’s no longer an ‘out of sight out mind” mindset, but its making a commitment to continue to cultivate these relationships and to seek the most out of them, which is simply staying in communion in love. Honor him in the little things; genuinely asking someone how they are doing, not just to say it, but to actually care about their well-being; to value people for who they are and not what they can do for you. I invite all of you to join me in this promise.

It would be a disservice to gather here in his remembrance and only reflect on the intellectual genius of Henoch Argaw. I am heartbroken if that’s all you knew about him. Henoch was more than just his academic achievements, more than his comprehensive abilities and it should be the last thing to define him. Henoch was more selfless than he was smart, Henoch was more compassionate than he was smart, Henoch was more joyful than he was smart, Henoch was more faithful than he was smart, Henoch was more gentle than he was smart, Henoch was more loving than he was smart, Henoch was more loyal than he was smart. Henoch was more humble than he was smart. Henoch was more. If you leave here with anything, please leave remembering Henoch was more. I’m not going to miss Henoch the student, I am going to miss Henoch the human being.

~miss you being there!

– Abenezer Argaw

I and Argaw formed a bond over being the only two 6th graders in Algebra 1 class. Henoch had broader interests and playful humor: “I remember countless hours playing Mario Hoops on our Nintendo DSs and practicing musical duets. One time, we went to preform ‘Ode to Joy’ for the school talent show, and we accidentally repeated it at separate times. The result: We both burst out in laughter for a good two minutes, to our embarrassment. Every time we heard ‘Ode to Joy’ after that, we couldn’t help but smile.”
– B. F.

I’ve been struggling for the past few days with what I really want to say to you and your family. All this news took me by surprise, and I’ve been at a loss of words. I’m scared that what I have to say won’t help you, and honestly, that is the last thing I want to do.I’ve been praying a lot about what I should do. In this moment, I feel that God is calling me to reach out to you all because it would be an injustice to Henoch if I don’t share with you what he meant to me.

Henoch was honestly one of the few bright spots that I had throughout my four years at Grandview. Sitting right next to Henoch in math freshman year was probably one of the best things that could’ve happened to me in high school. He was one of the few people freshman year who really wanted to get to know me. He always respected who I was, and I felt that I could talk to him about anything I wanted, whether it be about school, Christianity, colleges, whatever. He’s the one who encouraged me that I could do well. I remember all the times in senior year that he would study with me for linear algebra at my house and your house. He never said this explicitly but he didn’t spend hours on end studying with me because he needed to, but because he genuinely wanted to help me understand the concepts since I’m a slow learner. I never had a friend in high school who sacrificed so much time to see me do well like Henoch. He always helped me feel a sense of accomplishment and that I had worth.

I feel sad about what happened because Henoch had such a positive effect on me. I’m going to miss Henoch, and I am definitely going to cherish all the memories that we made together.
– J. C.