AVID staff member Diego Vasquez passed away in his home on Sunday, Oct. 12. Vasquez was just 21 years old.
After graduating from M-A in 2021, Vasquez attended San Jose State University, where he majored in Psychology. Following college, he came back to M-A to work as a tutor for the AVID program. He helped students with problem-solving, answered college questions, and assisted with AVID binder checks. He also never failed to share stories and lessons from his experiences at M-A, in AVID, and in college. In addition to tutoring at M-A three days a week, he was also a teacher’s assistant at San Jose State.
“He gave as much as he had,” AVID teacher Erika Shepard said. “He worked really hard to bond with specific kids who needed a role model.”
AVID students and teachers grew close with Vasquez because of his humor, intelligence, and empathy. “My favorite memories were just all of us laughing with him last year,” senior Alexander Leonardo said. “The legacy he’ll leave with me is that he brought humor into everything.”
“Diego was very sarcastic, which made working with high schoolers so much fun,” Shepard said.
“What I really liked about him is that he knew how to match someone’s energy,” senior Alison Vega said. “When talking to someone too formal, it makes me nervous, and he was never like that. Of course he’d discuss my grades with me, but he’d address me in a laughing matter that didn’t make me doubt myself in believing I could bring my grades up.”
“Diego would smile at me when I would go ‘What’s up tutors!’ and would always high five me and make me smile,” senior Yandel Hernandez said. “Diego reminds me to smile and enjoy what I’m doing and to make the most of it.”
“I vividly remember him being so comedic and putting a smile on everyone’s face,” senior Julissa Madrigal said.
Vasquez also spent time helping with M-A’s student broadcast show, M-A Today!
“I wish I had more students with Diego, especially in my M-A Today! class,” Digital Communications and Video Broadcasting teacher John Giambruno said. “He was so consistent with his work, it made producing a live show very easy with him on the team. He was always eager to volunteer for a role when that student was absent, or to pick up a filming/streaming assignment.”
Driven by his desire to give back to his communities, Vasquez encouraged students to hold themselves accountable, helping them to focus on education and channel the best version of themselves.
“Diego set the bar high for AVID tutors, and he basically ran AVID from the sidelines. To lose him, the whole program is going to feel it. We are going to miss him,” Shepard said.
AVID teachers have made a GoFundMe page on behalf of Vasquez’s family to support them during this difficult time.
