Early college student laid to rest Feb. 22
BY: ELIZABETH CLEARY
Managing Editor
Early College student Olivia O. Bumbac, 18, died Feb. 16 from injuries sustained in a car accident on Interstate 64. Her visitation was held Feb. 22.
“She was really dedicated, especially with college,” Bumbac’s friend Jackie Petrescu said. “She really wanted to help people – that’s why she was studying to be a CNA and then, later on, get her CRNA.”
Petrescu said that Bumbac originally wanted to be a diabetic nurse, having diabetes herself, but as she furthered her studies and saw the different nursing fields, she changed her focus to becoming an anesthesia assistant.
“She was going there [to STLCC] because she just finished her clinical. She was going to take her CNA exam in a couple of weeks. I mean, she was already about to have her CNA – that’s dedication,” Petrescu said.
Not only was Bumbac passionate about helping people, but she also had a love for animals, said Petruscu..
“She had a lot of different pets growing up. She had chinchillas. She had different reptiles. When the cicada outbreak happened, she was really big on taking care of the cicadas,” Petrescu said. “She was an animal-loving person.”
Her passion for helping people and animals alike aligned with her personality, which Petrescu described as bubbly and friendly.
“Her personality matched anyone. She was always so open to making new friends – no matter what their background was or who they were. She was always nice to everyone,” Petrescu said.
Bumbac enjoyed spending time with friends and having new experiences.
“She loved side quests, no matter what it was. She went everywhere – no matter if it was just getting a coffee or going to Chicago on a random weekend. She just always loved trying different things,” Petrescu said.
Petrescu remembers when she first met Bumbac at 5 years old.
“When I first came to the United States, she was the first Romanian person I knew,” Petrescu said, thinking back to her favorite memory of Bumbac. “When we were 8 years old, my parents had to go to a specific college class and they had me stay at her [Bumbac’s] house. We had a three day sleepover… That’s the biggest core memory I have of her.”
Bumbac is missed by many, including her professors and classmates at STLCC.
“After my initial shock at discovering Olivia‘s death, I saw some advice on the best way to tell the class from the counseling department and collected handouts on how to contact counseling for the students,” Bumbac’s English Professor Shaun Reno said. “Then I began class by announcing Olivia‘s death and handing out the contact information. There were audible gasps by the students and visible shock.”
Professor Reno said that students needed time to process the information and that class ended early that day. “It was a hard day,” he said.
