Mylan Rakich III

Mylan i know i haven't seen you since high-school but if it's one thing I do remember is you always had a smile and a kind word. RIP my friend.

One of the best professors I´ve had at school. The greatest thing he taught wasn´t just the sculpture techniques and artistic advice, but to be an authentic, kind human being. I had a period of depression while at school, and he was always there for me, making jokes, and supporting me. Prayers to the family

I came to campus early to say hi, and i found out the news. He wasnt there, and i knew something was off. When i was told, i had to sit down. Professor Rakich was awesome. I had him just this past spring. It was my first time back to school in a couple years and he helped me feel safe. I have a ticcing disorder called fnd, and everytime I ticced in his class he made a joke out of it. Just my style. He pushed me to go further in my art, and he was always down for a chat. He was the kind of man that believed in you, even if you didn't believe in yourself. He wasn't just a teacher. He was a friend, a mentor, and a safe space. I'll never forget the look on his face when I decided to use my hands for my ink drawings instead of the brushes. He told me I'd be an amazing artist, but he's also proud I'm pursuing my dreams of being a nurse. Mylan was and still is a good man, because the people we love and lose are never really gone. Their memory and the lives they touched and the things they created and influenced remain forever. May your soul rest in peace Mylan. I'll miss you.

Mylan was a great neighbor. We often heard him working on his projects or playing with his boys in the yard and it would make me smile. He often took time to visit with our family. We regularly crossed paths dropping and picking up our kids from school. I will greatly miss seeing him in his signature white truck driving in the neighborhood. Our hearts go out to Ariane and the boys.

I would often go to the art department during my breaks at PCC. Sometimes i would hear Mylan's booming and awesomely enthusiastic voice coming from his classroom. It always brought a smile. Hearing him teach was such a joy. I am reminded of Joyce's "a shout in the street". We had many great conversations. He always made time to do that when he saw me skulking about the art department. He was a great and generous man. I am very honored to have known you Mylan.

Mylan was one of my favorite professors I´ve ever had. He was always so kind and let me control the radio in class and play taylor swift. He was the best

At UP I took 3 classes from Mylan. At one point I was the only one in the class and I would always joke that I was "Daniel-san" and he was "Mr. Miyagi". He taught me how to carve my first large figure. He was a master artist and really good at explaining things, therefore an amazing teacher. When I took him for wood carving, my favorite memory was hiking around campus where he took us to a fallen tree he had found earlier. He took out his saw and gave us our wood pieces right then and there. During stone carving 2 the best part of the class was waiting to see how long it would take him to notice that "Go Easy on Me" by Adele was playing... it played every class and he sang every class. Mylan will be missed and I am so grateful I had him as a mentor and professor. Sending my deepest condolences to the Rakich family

Mylan will always be my favourite professor I had at UP. His energy was amazing and made every class a true joy to go to. I´m happy and honoured to have worked with him, because his joy and enthusiasm was so infectious. I made sure to get to class early everyday to set up and leave late to clean so I could joke around with him more. I will miss working with him but I´m truly blessed to have called him my professor