On the night of Aug. 31, 22-year-old Jordan “Don” Konanui-Kong from Las Vegas fell from his balcony on the fifth floor of Campus View Suites II.
Freshman Konanui-Kong was transported to St. George Regional Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
In a statement from Utah Tech University published to students and faculty, “Utah Tech University is devastated by the loss of a member of our Utah Tech family. His presence will be deeply missed on campus.”
A candlelight vigil was held Sept. 4. Students, faculty, staff and family members gathered to remember Konanui-Kong. Memories and experiences were shared as both laughter and tears filled the room.
Tamron Lee, dean of students, said at the vigil, “My wish is that we can find strength in our unity, and hope in the knowledge that Don’s light still shines in our hearts.”
After messages from both Lee and Van Mangus, academic adviser for College of the Arts and professor to Don, students and staff were invited to share memories.
Don was an animation major and was passionate about his work in art. He loved creating new characters and storylines.
In unity, everyone who spoke agreed that Don was able to make an impact to anyone he met. Students who came to the vigil had only known him for a short time, but they all met Don through a similar interaction — he just said hello.
Thomas Walker, a senior criminal justice and family studies major from Wyoming, said: “…one thing that is just so awesome is to see the campus community, and the community from St. George all coming together to pay their respects.”
His memory brought light in a room of mourning. Don’s artwork was also displayed for everyone to see.
Noah Nelsen, a student at Dixie Tech and close friend to Don said, “I think Don had a lot of traits I admired in him.”
Nelsen and Don met at the Clearfield Job Corps, and moved down to St. George to continue their education. While attending Dixie Tech, Toney Hawkes later met Don at an event held at Dixie Tech. They continued to be friends, sharing memories and getting to know each other.
Hawkes, another student at Dixie Tech and a close friend of Don, described him as, “A really good guy, he was always there when you needed him and when you needed someone to talk to.”
Nelsen and Hawkes both said that his death was an accident. Both friends attributed that Don had epilepsy and other health conditions.
Don’s mother posted on TikTok that Don took his own life.
Sun News Daily was denied police reports involving the details on Don’s death.
Hawkes said, “Don really did do his best to bring light in everyone’s eyes. I feel like he really did live each life to his fullest.”
