For Won Jang ’26, sharing was second nature — home-cooked food, his love of music and even his optimism. Known for his creativity and warmhearted demeanor, Jang inspired those around him with his profound generosity and care for others.
According to his father, Hongpil Jang, Jang was a gifted musician with a “deep love for music.” He played piano, several Korean instruments, trumpet — winning awards “as one of the top performers on the East Coast” — and even taught himself electric guitar and bass in college. Despite Jang’s own talents, however, he remained most committed to sharing music with others.
“He loved sharing what he had and was proud to be who he was,” Hongpil Jang wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. “He created a Korean club at school to teach his friends Korean and voluntarily taught Janggu, Korean drum, to adults in the Delaware Korean School, even performing with them.”
Jang, a biomedical engineering major from Middletown, Del., was reported missing on July 7 and found in the Connecticut River that evening. He died at 20 years old. During his time at the College, Jang served as a project manager at the DALI lab, participated in the TuckLAB entrepreneurship program and mentored international students for the Office of Pluralism and Leadership. He also brought his love of music to campus, co-founding two student bands during his time at Dartmouth — Catalysis, later renamed Silkstream, and Bored Shorts.
Rishav Chakravarty ’25 said the two met during Jang’s freshman year, when Jang first entered Dartmouth’s band scene. The pair soon became “band buddies.” According to Chakravarty, Jang approached him seeking advice — including how to organize performances and secure equipment. Jang’s dedication — even to the administrative elements of band life — underscored his commitment to sharing music with others, Chakravarty said.
“In a band, there tends to be one person who does the most work administratively … and he had the motivation to be that person and take on that work because it meant that his friends could play with him and that he could play for his friends,” Chakravarty said. “…He was really intent on giving to the culture and the community of Dartmouth and of the band scene — and of all the groups that intersect with that.”
According to Jang’s close friend and bandmate Lydia Jin ’26, Jang’s sincere generosity extended beyond his love for music. Jang, remembered by loved ones for his steadfast optimism, also aimed to share positivity with those around him.
“He was such a friendly face on campus, and behind that smile he was just such a happy soul,” Jin said. “He just wanted to share that happiness with as many people as he could.”
Jang’s friend Sreeya Pittala ’26 also remembered him for his ever-present kindness. She said Jang “always said hi to everyone” — whether they were a close friend or an acquaintance.
“He was genuinely just the nicest and [most] uplifting person ever — he always had a smile on his face no matter what he was going through,” she said. “… He genuinely cared about other people. … That’s what made him so unique.”
When Jang was not sharing a hello or music with those around him, he would share home-cooked food. During his freshman fall in 2022, Jang attended a friend’s birthday dinner in the basement of Wheeler Hall, Jin recalled. When other friends “somewhat gave up” on cooking — leaving behind the cake, fried eggs, fried rice, kimchi, pork belly and spam they had been making to instead chat and play games — Jang continued to cook for the party, Jin said.
“He was still diligently making everyone a fried egg and making sure everyone was fed,” Jin said. “It was really cool to see how generous he was in that way and just how much he loved to share things that he enjoyed with everybody else.”
In addition to his generosity, Jang is remembered for his brilliance and passion for science.
According to his father, Jang’s interest in science began at a young age. “Even before turning one,” Jang found himself drawn to art galleries, museums and science centers — his “favorite playgrounds,” Hongpil Jang wrote. Jang’s profound love for science sometimes even led to mischief, he added.
“One time … his mom told him to go to bed early, but we found him under his blanket, secretly reading a science book,” he recalled. “We couldn’t help but laugh, and it was a common sight in his childhood to see him carrying a notebook at the science center, taking notes and following professors around, asking them questions.”
As Jang grew older, his love for science and learning never waned. Inspired by his mother, who was a chemistry teacher, Jang attended the HOSA national competition — a leadership development program for future health professionals — in 2022 and grew “fascinated” by DNA editing, his father wrote. It was there that Jang met Pittala, another Delaware resident, who said Jang’s enthusiasm made her more excited to attend Dartmouth in the fall.
“[I thought], I’m so excited to meet other people just like him,” she recalled.
The same year, Jang graduated as valedictorian from his high school in Delaware — an accomplishment made all the more impressive by the challenges he had overcome. Jang and his family moved to the United States from South Korea in 2016 for Hongpil Jang’s job, Hongpil Jang wrote. Although “everything was new” to Jang — including the language and culture — he “did everything on his own” and “never once lost” his top position in his class.
“At [his high school] graduation, he delivered a speech as the valedictorian in front of friends and families, thanking his parents for making him the person he is today, and saying ‘I love you mom and dad’ in Korean,” Hongpil Jang wrote. “Won’s consideration and words filled my heart.”
Even as Jang succeeded academically, he made sure to treat others with kindness and generosity, his father added. For example, Jang shared his class notes with other students online.
“We always taught Won to learn and share with others, and he lived exactly that way,” Hongpil Jang wrote. “He loved sharing what he knew, was always positive and humorous and enjoyed encouraging those around him.”
According to his father, Jang’s interest in chemistry and desire to help people ultimately led him to study biomedical engineering at Dartmouth. Jin said Jang had hopes of curing diseases and winning a Nobel Prize.
In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Emily Chen ’24, Jang’s DALI Lab mentor, wrote that Jang “often spoke about his goals within DALI, Dartmouth and life,” which were “refreshing and inspiring to hear about.” She added that Jang “eagerly” accepted complicated challenges and “made others feel at ease.”
“At DALI, he always had a positive attitude and smile on his face,” she wrote. “His bright spirit and warm energy will be sorely missed in the DALI community and everywhere else as well.”
Like Chen, Pittala said she found Jang “so inspiring” — noting that he “loved to try new things.” According to Pittala, several classmates spoke about Jang’s extensive involvement on campus at a vigil held by the William Jewett Tucker Center on July 9. In addition to music and science, Jang loved winter sports — including skiing, skating and ice hockey — learning new languages and traveling, his father wrote. Jang also loved cats and volunteered at a cat rescue shelter, his father added.
“Won loved challenging himself with new things, discovering the unknown and exploring new areas,” he added.
Jang will be remembered for the light he brought to the lives of everyone around him.
“When I look back, there’s not a single moment that isn’t memorable because Won was such a special presence in our lives,” Hongpil Jang wrote. “The walks, shopping trips, the endless life conversations during long drives we had together, the memories of taking his mom to Longwood Gardens every Christmas to make her happy and discovering new restaurants and taking the whole family there — all of these memories are special.”
