plane crash

Massachusetts Native Among Victims in Ethiopian Airline Crash

Family members say 24-year-old Samya Stumo, a graduate of UMass Amherst, was aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that crashed

A woman who grew up in Massachusetts was one of the 157 people who died in an Ethiopian Airlines crash last weekend.

Family members say 24-year-old Samya Stumo was aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that crashed Sunday minutes after takeoff.

Stumo grew up in Sheffield and graduated from Mount Everett High School in 2010. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2015 and had just taken a job with ThinkWell, a global health organization.

Her grandmother, Laura Nader, an anthropology professor at the University of California Berkeley, tells The Boston Globe that Stumo was heading to Uganda for her first project for the group.

UMass Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor, Ed Blaguszewski, released a statement on behalf of the University:

"The UMass Amherst community is deeply saddened by the loss of Samya Stumo, who tragically died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday. Samya cared deeply about the welfare of others throughout her life and across the world. While at UMass Amherst, she was honored with a special Salute to Service Scholarship for her commitment to public service. She was especially known for engaging others by earning their respect, friendship and trust, demonstrating a remarkable ability to relate to people in their communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."

Stumo was the grand-niece of consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

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