SAIT lost one of its own this past summer after a hiking trip went tragically wrong. Michael Hwang, 44, passed away after being reported missing by his family on Saturday, Aug. 4.

His body was found on Castle Mountain the following Monday, approximately 2,400 metres above ground.

According to a story by the Calgary Herald, searchers said that Hwang appeared to have been rappelling down the mountain and may have run out of rope.

He had finished his first year of Administrative Information Management and was also the father of four.

“He was in my class and he was one of the kindest and funniest people I have met,” said second-year AIM student Maggie McDonald.

“He would always go out of his way to help other students and was definitely a fun character,” she continued.

AIM instructor Peggy Noble said that it was obvious to her that family was incredibly important to Hwang. During class, he had been eager to share stories of his business experiences and to participate in classroom discussion.

“He will be missed so much at home and will be missed at school by his instructors and his classmates,” she said.

Hwang had previously taken the IT Network Systems program at SAIT where he spawned an award-winning idea with class-mate Ryan Hermanson.

The pair won a grant in 2011 through the LAUNCH program, an annual competition held by Applied Research and Innovation Services. The pitch was called ADLotto and was intended to drastically alter the way advertising was and is conducted.