More than 1,000 Wolfpackers, some of whom were wearing Virginia Tech colors, gathered for a vigil on Harris Field Tuesday night.

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Several student leaders began organizing the event Monday evening after hearing about the two shootings, which resulted in 32 deaths at Virginia Tech.

According to Student Body President Will Quick, the organizers handed out 500 candles, which they ran out of at 7:55 p.m. The event started at 8 p.m.

Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, encouraged attendees in his speech to reach out to their friends or colleagues at Virginia Tech during the time of mourning.

“Virginia Tech is our closely allied sister institution,” he said.

Stafford said many students at the University were affected by the tragedy. Campus Police, the Counseling Center and other organizations on campus were available for students to seek help.

“Their work alone, [however], cannot prevent senseless acts of violence,” he said.

According to Stafford, students should still continue to take precautions every day.

Students also talked about their experiences with the tragedy during the vigil.

Andrew Wall, a sophomore in history education, said he had both friends and family at Virginia Tech and said he spent all of Monday afternoon and night calling them.

“I remember thinking, what if it was my cousin? What if it was her in the dorm?” he said.

Wall said he was fortunate to not have lost them.

“Tonight, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and colleges all over the world are family,” he said.

Quick also gave a speech at the vigil.

He said NCSU has responded to crises in the past.

“Tonight, we are faced with a completely different tragedy,” he said.

According to Quick, the student body president at Virginia Tech said he was emotionally moved at the support of other colleges and universities around the nation.

Stafford said he was invited to participate in the vigil this morning.

“It’s important for the University administrators to speak out and to encourage all the N.C. State family to support our friends and colleagues at Virginia Tech,” he said.

Stafford said he was at the gym, and his aerobics leader informed him about the shooting.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I was in total disbelief.”

According to Stafford, the tragedy is something a person doesn’t expect to happen on a campus even though it can, but said he was very proud of the night’s turnout.

“NCSU students always respond when there’s a need for compassion,” he said.

Counselors from the Counseling Center were also present at the event because they said they wanted to be available for students whether it was right then or just to let them know that they would be available later.

“I felt the need to feel connected to the college community,” Angel Johnson, a counselor, said.

According to April Chester, counselor at the Counseling Center, at this time of year, the center is full of stressed students and with the recent tragedy, they decided to ask for more help.

Johnson said 17 counselors work at the center and students can walk in from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days, as well as an on-call counselor who students can talk to after contacting Campus Police in case of emergencies.

“We’re trying to be more available,” she said.

Quick said he was in touch with ACC schools throughout the day who also organized vigils Tuesday.

“We thought all the campuses holding vigils would be the best way to support Virginia Tech at this time,” he said.

According to Laura Sullivan, a freshman in Spanish, the vigil was a great to create awareness about the situation.

“It affects our campus as well,” she said.

Sullivan said with such a big turnout, the incident must have meant something to them.

Caroline Burkett, a freshman in psychology, agreed.

“It really unites students, just to know that this could happen anywhere is an eerie feeling, but just to know that we could unite and support each other [helps],” she said. According to Kate Luckadoo, one of the organizers, she created the Facebook group at about 10 p.m. Monday night and by 7 a.m. Monday morning, 350 people had already confirmed to attend the vigil.

Luckadoo, Bobby Mills, student body president-elect, and other students were passing out ribbons in the Brickyard today for students to wear in memory of the VT tragedy.

Luckadoo, junior in communication and anthropology, said she was stunned by the event, as she was walking through the Brickyard Monday afternoon and saw people gathered around a tent that had blown into the side of Harrelson Hall. She said then went into the library and saw people at the coffee shop gathered around the TV watching something bigger — the shootings.

“It was still kind of surreal and still is surreal to me,” she said.

Jon Lockwood, a freshman in mechanical engineering, attended the vigil.

“It’s really important [to support Virginia Tech],” he said. “We are all college kids. We have that in common. It could’ve been here, and it gets you thinking what’s important in life.”

According to Lockwood, when a crisis like this happens, a person realizes the importance of friends and family, and what truly matters in life.

“You realize how much friends and family are important and your relationship with God, and how all that matters in life,” he said.

Amber Joyner, a sophomore in political science and senator, said supporting the students at Virginia Tech is very important at this time.

“It’s important that the University supports President [of Virginia Tech Charles] Steger,” she said. “He got a lot of flack for not shutting down the campus [right away], so it’s important to support him and make best of what we have left.”

Senior staff writers Colleen Forcina and Tabitha Earp contributed to this story.