A Colgate University student’s bright future was tragically cut short when he died while kayaking this weekend in upstate New York — just days before he was set to walk across the graduation stage.
Sohail Nabi, 21, a double major, was found dead in Schroon River outside of Warrensburg, New York, Monday evening roughly 22 hours after a his kayak overturned during an outing with friends, officials said.
He was found at 5:55 p.m. in approximately 12 feet of water and only 100 feet from his paddleboat.
Nabi’s remains were recovered through a multi-agency rescue effort involving the Warrensburg Volunteer Fire Company, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Warren County Marine Rescue Team, North Queensburg Volunteer Fire Company and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Offering his condolences, Colgate University President Brian Casey wrote in a letter on Monday that “at moments like this, words feel insufficient,” and “we are also also preparing to honor the accomplishments of our seniors, whose years at Colgate should be marked with pride, gratitude, and joy.”
“These are not competing obligations. To honor Sohail’s life is also to honor the class of which he was a part, the friendships he formed here, and the community that now mourns him.”
Nabi graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers in 2022, and at Colgate he majored in political science and philosophy, according to a Colgate spokesperson. He will be honored in the baccalaureate ceremony on Saturday.
Colgate University will hold a vigil for Nabi at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the college’s Memorial Chapel.
Paddleboats, like canoes and kayaks, account for roughly 45% of boat-related fatalities — a large plurality of boating deaths — in New York State, according to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s latest recreational boating report.