By: Lacey James

A memorial was held at Riverside City College to mourn the loss of one of its students Carlos Daniel Pedroza Villalobos on May 9 in the Quadrangle courtyard.

The memorial was organized by Associated Students of Riverside City College and in attendance was President Clarissa Juarez who guided the two-hour ceremony.

The courtyard was packed with students, staff, faculty, friends and family who came to show their respects for Pedroza Villalobos. Electronic candles were also passed out to attendees to honor Pedroza Villalobos.

The courtyard had a seated covered area with balloons honoring Pedroza Villalobos. Orange flowers were placed at the podium that displayed a photo of Pedroza Villalobos where attendees were encouraged to bring flowers.

Pedroza Villalobos died on April 16 at RCC.

“Dear fellow students, faculty and staff, today we gather with heavy hearts to mourn the loss of one of our own,” Juarez said. “The passing of a member of our community is a somber reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment we have together. As we come together in solidarity, let us remember Danny, not for how they left us, but the light they brought into our lives.”

Pedroza Villalobos’ friend, Devonte Kilgore was in attendance and gave a speech honoring Pedroza Villalobos.

“I am a close friend of Danny’s,” Kilgore said fighting back tears. “Danny was an extraordinary individual. He was also very smart and a bright person with big aspirations and dreams. Danny’s life will forever shine bright here at Riverside City College and he will always hold a special place in my heart.”

“My prayer is that Danny’s family remains comforted in this time. At times we may question why the good lord decided to take someone we love too soon,” Kilgore added.

“We must remain strong in him, for Jeremiah 29 verse 11 reads ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Kilgore closed out his eulogy by offering help to those in need.

“If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the national suicide prevention lifeline, 24/7 days a week, the number is 988. Thank you.”

Associate Professor of Sociology Timothy Gutierrez also spoke at the podium to speak about his experience with Pedroza Villalobos.

“I’m very grateful to have known Danny this semester,” Gutierrez said. “Supported the classmates … talented in their work. Lots of personality in their writing. Lots of individualism.”

“I wish I could have known Danny more. Especially with everything that I’ve learned about Danny these past three weeks and two days,” Gutierrez said.

President of Riverside City College, Claire Oliveros was in attendance and gave a speech honoring Pedroza Villalobos. A transcriber accompanied Oliveros to speak directly to Pedroza Villalobos’ family.

“I’d like to also express our deepest condolences as well as our gratitude for sharing Danny,” Oliveros said.

“I’m also deeply sad and (were) grieving together. So here we are in a public display together of grief and sadness which is also a gift, a gift of connection to honor Danny’s life,” Oliveros said. 

Along with expressing her condolences, Oliveros also shared what RCC would be doing to honor Pedroza Villalobos moving forward.

“On behalf of the college I want to share ways in which we hope to contribute and honor and celebrate Danny’s life. In honor of his life, we want to explore the possibilities of planting a tree in his honor as well as launching a scholarship that supports the educational goals of Danny along with supporting efforts for transferring and honoring Danny with a degree at commencement for his academic efforts,” Oliveros said.

Juarez also called for a moment of silence and mentioned that Pedroza Villalobos was a fan of music movie soundtracks. In Pedroza Villalobos’ honor, they played one of Pedroza Villalobos’ favorite songs called “Sweet Dreams” by Kensuke Ushio from the “Chainsaw Man” soundtrack. 

“We do understand that he is no longer here, but we do have a lot of love for him,” Juarez said.

ASRCC also provided large papers on the courtyard ground for students to write notes and express their condolences to Pedroza Villalobos.