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After the Penn sophomore's body was found, his father, Gideon Bernstein, was emotional at a news conference, calling his son \"a brilliant, colorful and charismatic man.\"

Embracing his wife, the grieving father called her his \"rock,\" adding, \"Our children are so strong and we just want to see resolution.\"

\"PHOTO:
KABC
PHOTO: Blaze Bernstein's hug at a press conference, Jan. 10, 2018, after his body was found.
>

Dr. Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, vice provost for university life at Penn, said in a statement this week, \"I came to know Blaze, and I grieve his passing.\"

She said Blaze Bernstein \"loved the written word.\"

He was the incoming managing editor of the student-run food magazine, wrote opinion columns for the student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian, and was also a copy associate for the paper's arts and culture magazine, she said.

\"I realize these losses have the potential to affect many, many members of our Penn family,\" she said. \"Hug your friends and roommates. Practice self-care and empathy. Celebrate who and what you have on this special campus. Find unity and strength, together.\"

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