This story was originally published Sept. 24, 2025, and was updated Oct. 1, 2025 for clarity purposes.
On Tuesday, Sept. 9, Augustana’s Nepali Student Association (NSA) held a candlelight vigil to honor the lives lost in Nepal’s recent anti-corruption protests. The vigil was held at Augustana’s Chapel in Founders Hall, with over 70 students and staff in attendance.
In the days leading up to the vigil, anti-corruption protesters took to the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal and other cities across the nation. Forty-nine people were confirmed to be dead on Sept. 9, as well as hundreds injured as a result of the protests. According to the New York Times, the march was one of the largest in Nepal’s history.
Many Augustana students from Nepal were left without connection to friends and family after a social media ban of 26 platforms took place. According to Wio News, apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram were banned. Senior Norika Thapa is an international student from Nepal and said she watched what was going on in her hometown from afar.
“When people started speaking up about corruption on social media and then it got banned, that’s what added fuel to the fire,” Thapa said. “It seemed like people’s voices were being silenced.”
She said students felt many mixed emotions over the protests. Thapa recounted how hard it was to hear the news of violence at home.
“Most of us went through a lot of emotions,” Thapa said. “Some were upsetting, but some also made us feel proud, seeing people my age bring change to the country.”
Ultimately, after a vote among protesters on the social platform Discord, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was chosen as interim prime minister to lead Nepal until new elections could be held. Junior Nimai Mahat is a member of NSA and said that he felt scared during the unrest but was hopeful for the future of Nepal.
“She [Interim Prime Minister Karki] is like a mother, a grandmother to all of us,” Mahat said. “She is pretty experienced too, being a chief justice.”
Campus Chaplain Melinda Pupillo delivered a brief message and prayer at the vigil, discussing Augustana’s commitment to supporting its Nepali students and the importance of community in times of struggle. In remembrance, Pupillo said she rang a chime 49 times, once for each of the known dead at the time, and a 50th time for all the unknown dead.
“It was all student-led,” Pupillo said. “Its integrity came from the students I met with.”
Pupillo closed with a prayer that those present may find healing and purpose in the days ahead before inviting them to come forward and light candles.
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Gauri A. Pitale sent out an email to all students in coordination with OISSS (Office of International Students and Scholar Services) on Sept. 10. The email listed available support resources and urged all students to be mindful of what their peers may be facing. International Student Advisor and Program Coordinator for OISSS, Tyler Kinney, works to make sure students feel included.
“We do our absolute best to make sure that every student knows that they belong here at Augustana, and we’ll continue to do so,” Kinney said.
