There are two red-and-gold Chinese good-luck charms hanging on the wall in Kathleen Joyce’s office.

The good-luck charms were given to Joyce, the assistant dean of student recruitment in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, by Chengye Hou, who died early in a car accident early Thursday morning on East Seneca Turnpike in front of the Clark Reservation State Park, according to a release from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.

“He was just such a bright spirit, a bright life,” Joyce said of the 23-year-old mechanical engineering graduate student.

Yifan Tao, who was also a 23-year-old graduate student at SU, died in the accident as well. The third passenger, 22-year-old SU student Jiarui Chen, survived the crash with non-life-threatening injuries. Hou was driving eastbound on East Seneca Turnpike when the car crossed the westbound land and struck a tree on the side of the road, according to a release by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.

After coming to the U.S., Hou attended Onondaga Community College for two years, where he studied engineering science, Joyce said. He then completed two bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and math at SU last May, she said.

Hou was pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and was expected to graduate in 2017, according to an SU News release.

Before getting accepted into SU’s graduate program, Joyce mainly worked with Hou by helping him edit his personal statement for the application. She said it was through this process that she really got to know him.

“He was such a hard worker and such a motivated young man and really someone who would just make the most of any opportunity,” Joyce said. “… He lived life to the fullest. He lived boldly.”

Fred Carranti, Hou’s faculty adviser in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, said with a laugh that Hou was always in his office trying to talk Carranti into letting him do more.

Carranti added that since Hou was so energetic and ambitious, he often had to “rein him in.”

Carranti said Hou took three of his classes during his time at SU, but he really got to know him and develop a mutual respect for him through his frequent office visits.

One visit, Carranti said, was shortly after commencement in May. Hou’s parents were visiting, so Hou introduced Carranti to them. Although Hou’s parents do not speak English, Carranti said he was very happy to meet them.

“I think I finally understood him at that point,” Carranti said recalling that moment. “His motivation for pursuing two degrees and working so hard was because he was his parents’ hopes and dreams. And he wanted to live up to that.”

Carranti added that Hou was always trying to do more and that he wanted to have a lot of credentials.

While at SU, Joyce said Hou founded and was vice president of the International Student Investment Group, headquartered in New York City. He also founded his own 3-D printer company. In addition, Hou helped tutor other Chinese students in English.

Joyce, the assistant dean of student recruitment in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, added that one of Hou’s goals for the future was to be an entrepreneur and start his own business.

Carranti said Hou always worked hard, but he always succeeded in what he did.

“We started off kind of butting heads, but by the time he graduated, we were hugging,” Carranti said. “I had a lot of respect for him.”

Published on October 25, 2015 at 10:32 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann