The 18-year-old Nazareth Area High School graduate and Penn State Lehigh Valley sophomore died Wednesday.
If there was a single passion in life for 18-year-old Rahman Mustafa Hassan, it was to some day save the life of another.
Family members and friends believe Hassan died Wednesday trying to do just that.
Hassan, of Upper Nazareth Township, had just finished his freshman year at Penn State Lehigh Valley and had aspirations of becoming a doctor. The 2015 Nazareth Area High School graduate had yet to declare a major but was taking mostly biology science classes.
He planned to travel to Costa Rica in July with other classmates to learn more about biological research, friends said. Hassan also volunteered for three years in the pharmaceutical department at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg.
"He lived by the motto, 'It's a beautiful day to save lives' and he died saving one," said Adila Anwari, Hassan's cousin from Bethlehem.
Hassan was hiking Wednesday afternoon with a group of four others. He was at the top of the highest point at Glen Onoko Falls in Carbon County when a water bottle belonging to his friend, Fadi Abboud, 19, of Allentown, began to roll, family members said.
Hassan was sitting with his legs dangling over the edge with Abboud next to him, according to state police. Family members believe Hassan tried to help Abboud as Abboud began to slip while retrieving the water bottle, but instead plunged 50 feet below.
Hassan died on impact on rocks at the bottom of the falls; Abboud survived, but remained hospitalized Thursday with life-threatening injuries. Abboud is a junior at Penn State Lehigh Valley in Center Valley, the school said.
Hassan leaves behind his parents, Abdul Khalil Hassan and Majan Hassan; three brothers, Bahman Hassan, Yaman Hassan and Nourallah Hassan; and a sister, Arzo Ramin.
Services are being held Friday and Saturday at Dar Al-Taqwa Islamic Center in Queens, New York.
Nazareth hiker, 18, dies at Glen Onoko Falls
'Loyal classmate'
Penn State Lehigh Valley sophomore David Stevens remembers the internal scolding he would give himself after studying hard for a test and walking away with a less-than-perfect mark.
"I would tell myself, 'I'm so upset. You studied hard,'" recalled, Stevens, of Allentown. "I was just so down on myself."
Hassan would then walk in, sit down beside him and what came next always cheered him up, he said.
"He would say, 'Dude, it's not that bad,'" Stevens said, noting Hassan would then hold up a paper with a lower grade than Stevens'.
Shanice Clarke attended Nazareth High with Hassan, graduating a year earlier. Hassan moved to Pennsylvania from New York about seven years ago.
Clarke said even in high school, Hassan was studious and dedicated to academics. In college, he never went anywhere without a biology book and nearly every conversation -- even on spring break -- revolved around his studies, said Nadia Ramin of Lower Nazareth Township, whose cousin is married to Hassan's sister.
"He was just a fun, jovial person. A humble person," said Clarke, of Lower Nazareth Township. "You didn't just hear him, you would see him for who he was."
Sam Sankari, a sophomore at Penn State, really got to know Hassan when the pair were in the library and Sankari left his phone charger behind. Sankari was headed in another direction when he saw a text message from Hassan telling him to come back.
"I didn't know him that well then; he could have easily just taken it," Sankari said. "But that's how he's always been -- he literally would go out of his way to make other people happy."
The same went for Mahbub Ali, a chemistry classmate, who met Hassan on the first day of class and Ali realized he was missing a notebook required for the lesson. Hassan told him not to worry and he had an extra notebook in his backpack, Ali said.
"I realized from that moment that he was someone I should be friends with," Ali said.
Hurt hiker fighting for his life after fall at falls
'Making it happen'
When he didn't have his nose in a book, Hassan was playing basketball or trying his luck at cards against peers. He made a commitment every second Friday to join friends at The Wooden Match in Bethlehem to discuss future ambitions.
"We talked about everything we had accomplished the month before and talked about how to reach our goals," said friend Josh Nichols, of Easton. "We joked about having to reserve the entire restaurant in the future because of how successful we had become."
Nichols said Hassan was passionate and determined.
"He was going to be the best doctor out there, and we knew it," he said. "Instead of being out partying and dreaming of success, we were working to make it happen."
Shivani Pathak, of Allentown, said Penn State Lehigh Valley students are still reeling from the loss of their classmate and the injuries to Abboud. The school made counselors available to students Thursday.
"It's unreal. We had gone through this whole year seeing his face every day in every single class," Pathak said. "It's just hard to take in."
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.