New York Correspondent—A community mourned Thursday the loss of a beloved daughter, sister and friend, Fardush Sultana, who died Wednesday at a Utica college.
Sultana, a junior at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, died at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica from a mysterious head injury. She was 20.
Sultana was taken to the hospital on the evening of April 8 for an unexplained head injury while she was in her dormitory room. The incident is still under investigation by state and university police, according to a statement from the college.
Sultana’s family declined to release details of her injury. “Words can’t express the loss of such an untimely death,” family friend Abdus Miah said. “May Allah bless her with Jannah. Our deepest condolences and prayers for her family and loved ones.”
Sultana was a 2016 graduate of Hudson High School. She is survived by her parents Parveen Ahster and Abdul Bashar, and two sisters, Farzana and Fariah, according to the SUNY Polytechnic’s website.
Sultana was studying civil engineering, according to a statement from the college. Sultana was an “outstanding” student who touched many lives, college President Grace Wang said Thursday.
“Fardush was a student-athlete, a member of the cross-country team that won the NEAC Championship this past fall, and she gave her time as a phone-a-thon participant,” according to a statement released by the college. “She was also part of the Residential Life family, serving as a student assistant in the office. She was very active in the SUNY Poly community through her involvement in the After Hours Activity Board where she served as social media coordinator and the Black and Latino Student Association.”
Outside of school activities, Sultana worked as a student assistant in the office of Residential Life.
The Zanazah, or the Islamic funeral prayers recited in the Islamic funeral rite, will be held at Hudson High School gymnasium, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Friday at 1:45 p.m. Attendees are asked to enter through the event entrance at the center of the campus.
Appropriate attire for the services is full covering on arms and legs. Head covering is optional for non-Muslim friends, according to the school district.
Sultana was a member of the Hudson High School robotics team that competed in a state championship, a member of the National Honor Society and a runner on the track team, according to the Hudson City School District.
Two weeks ago, Sultana returned to Hudson High to assist teammates on the Hudson High School Robotics Team No. 1665.
Counselors will be on hand at the high school to assist students, according to the district.
“Fardush will be remembered for her smiling face and friendly demeanor,” according to a statement released by the Hudson City School District. “Fardush worked to improve the lives of those around her and continued to be a proud member of the Bluehawk community after graduation.”Source: HudsonValley360
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