Happy birthday, dear Jordan, happy birthday to you.

It would be an understatement to say that the late Jordan Trunfio has made a lasting impact on WS and the community. Trunfio, who passed away from brain cancer on June 6, would have celebrated his nineteenth birthday on Friday, November 8.

Rather than a typical birthday party with balloons and cake, current and former WS students decided to honor Trunfio’s birthday with a customized workout comprised of Trunfio’s favorite exercises. The people closest to him felt this would be an appropriate way to pay tribute because of the commitment he showed to working out and staying fit.

“I started asking him about his favorite exercises before he passed away,” said former football coach and Personal Fitness instructor Brendan Campbell. “He was very good at doing handstands and walking upside down.”

Unfortunately, the average person does not typically have this same ability. Because of this, the workout consists of his second and third favorite exercises.

The workout is made up of 5 power cleans and 8 power push-ups. Participants are to complete as many rounds as they possibly can in 5 minutes and 8 seconds. The purpose of this design is to pay homage to Trunfio’s football uniform number, the now retired number 58.

This workout is by no means an easy one, requiring the strength and determination Trunfio regularly demonstrated to complete.

“I specifically remember that when there was two minutes left, I was really tired, but I thought about Jordan and how hard he fought, and it motivated me to keep going,” said senior Mary Claire Ragan.

While plenty of current WS students participated in the workout for their Personal Fitness class, many alumni voluntarily participated as well.

“It’s [Jordan’s] birthday and these were his favorite exercises, so I’m going to destroy my body for him in this workout,” said Class of 2013 graduate Merwan Mokhtari.

Many students that were close to Trunfio wanted to do this special workout; however, they were unable to return to WS to do it with Campbell and the others in the weight room. This did not stop them from paying homage to their friend. Class of 2013 graduate Andrew Garrison, for example, completed the workout at the gym at his college.

“It was a special workout because it was in honor of a special guy and I know he was looking down at us all,” said Garrison, “I think he would be touched to see us doing his favorite workouts and he’d be itching to do them himself.”

This was a simple gesture that went a long way in making sure no one forgets Jordan Trunfio and his story.

“I know that Jordan would have done it for someone else, even if he wasn’t required to. I hope it will become an annual event because it’s a perfect way to remember and honor his life,” said Garrison.