Obituary of Andrew Man-Hudspith

I was one of Andrew’s friends from RPI. We met while living in Blitman my freshman year, although we fell out of touch this past year due to our busy schedules. Andrew was the kind of friend who would tell it like it was. His insight was something I often sought out. One of my best memories with him was going to New York City Comic Con my sophomore year. It’s so hard to believe that he’s gone so soon after graduation. I hope that I can be to others the person Andrew was to me and so many others.

I had the pleasure of interning with Andrew this past summer where we became fast friends. It was his third summer there and he quickly took me under his wing which then we spent nearly everyday together. I was very nervous at the start but with Andrew made things fun so much so that I looked forward to going in to see what adventure we’d have that day. He was always eager to help me without me even needing to ask, show me something cool he had discovered or just stopping by my cubicle for a chat or to check in. He was so motivated and is an inspiration to me. I will always remember and be grateful for his kind soul and support. My love and prayers go out to his loved ones.

In the spring of 2021, I began my second semester of freshman year at RPI, feeling weighed down by the challenges of the previous months. I found myself uncertain about what the future held in a new dorm. But little did I know, I was about to meet one of the most special people in my life. What I thought would be a difficult year turned into one of the best. Andrew made every day worth it. He never failed to bring a smile to my face when I needed it the most, and in his presence, I never felt lonely or unseen. He had a way of making me feel smarter than I was, and I learned something new from him every day. He taught me more about myself than I ever expected to know. One summer, during a particularly low point in my life, Andrew told me to "break the downward spiral." He encouraged me to be the best version of myself, to get fresh air, and to socialize. His warm hugs were a constant source of comfort when I needed them the most. He’d make mac & cheese for me when I was feeling sad and didn’t have the energy to cook. He stayed up video chatting with me on New Year’s when I was lonely. And he had the patience to forgive me when I wasn’t at my best. There are countless stories that reflect how amazing Andrew was, and he managed to do so much good in such a short time. Everyone deserves an Andrew in their life. In the three brief years that I knew him, the impact he made on me will last a lifetime. I hope to carry his kindness, humor, and wisdom with me always.

Andrew and I met in 2023 as interns at Sensata. I was the only software engineer that summer, and initially felt out of place amongst all the mechEs— I often lacked the background knowledge to fully understand what they were all working on, and in turn had a hard time explaining my own project in ways that were interesting to them. Andrew, however, was always excited to explain anything I had questions about, from basic things like what exactly his team’s product was supposed to do, to super niche knowledge like how a fiber laser works. I always admired how passionate and eager he was to find things to make or fix— instead of wasting time at his desk while waiting for test results to come back, he’d ask around his team to see if anyone had Matlab code for him to write, or find other little side projects to keep himself busy. I remember this one week when he first learned to use the vacuum sealer in the lab, he started vacuum-packing random objects and leaving them on people’s desks— at one point he gave me a single Swedish Fish in vacuum-sealed packaging, and after I opened and ate it, he stole the packaging back when I wasn’t looking, put another Swedish Fish in, vacuum-sealed it closed, and put it back where I’d left it, much to my confusion (and later delight). We ended up reuniting at Sensata in the summer of 2024, and he was once again integral in making me feel welcome; I was much younger than most of my coworkers, but also didn’t want to force myself into the intern group since I was now full-time. Andrew, however, invited me to sit with the interns at lunch, and tried his best to make me feel welcome amongst them. He’d often drop by my cubicle when he ran out of tasks for the day, and tell me company gossip (which he always knew, somehow), or about the coffee machine he was trying to automate, or show me pictures of Nova. I will always be grateful for how welcome he made me feel during those two summers, and how much warmth he brought into our (sometimes dreary) corporate office.