It was with great sadness that we learned in late February that Rohan (a member of the EPS Class of 2020) had passed away unexpectedly. Rohan was an EPS “Lifer,” having joined our community in his fifth-grade year. Rohan was a student ambassador and athlete during his time at EPS and popular with faculty and peers alike.

As Rohan applied to college, Anthony Colello (former faculty and college counselor) and Elena Olsen (current faculty and college counselor) wrote his letter of recommendation. That letter began, “When Rohan Bharadwaj’s name comes up in faculty meetings or conversations, it is inevitable that everyone in the room will smile and at least two or three people will say some version of: ‘Such a sweet kid.’ Empathetic and kind, perceptive and literary-minded, Rohan is such an asset to our school community.” The letter also included quotes from many of Rohan’s teachers, including one who said “You have shown a keen mind for analysis, and you think deeply about the questions I ask in class. I want to thank you for your professionalism and your contributions to our class culture.” Other teachers commented on Rohan’s powerfully creative mind, focus and attention to detail, and engagement and strong self-advocacy skills. The college recommendation letter concluded with, “Rohan’s aptitude for storytelling and narrative makes sense, because he is profoundly gifted in his insight into people and their relationships. Indeed, he notes that he loves stories for their ability to foster empathy in readers and writers alike. Rohan reaches out to those in need. Rohan has reached out to students many times in this manner—in ways that are largely unseen. He is not asking for recognition or credit and sincerely wants to be a mentor and social-emotional resource for our student community. We are proud of Rohan’s ability to remain true to himself, and to push himself to grow and learn.”

The news of Rohan’s passing impacted deeply many in our community and unspeakable loss of this sort is very hard to understand and process. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Ching-fen and Deepak during this time of loss and grief.