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YUCAIPA, CA— A scholarship established in memory of late Crafton Hills College (CHC) student Adam Yahel Diaz has received funding from a longtime supporter of education and the College.
Patricia Atherton and the CHC Foundation recently entered into an agreement to accept a $20,000 gift to help fund a memorial scholarship endowment established in Diaz’s memory after his 2015 death. The scholarship was created “to recognize the accomplishments and contributions” of Diaz who was just weeks away from graduating from CHC before he was killed from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 26.
“I feel honored that I was able to do this,” said Atherton. “I can’t think of a better cause.”
Six years after Diaz’s death, his impact is still being felt around the entire Roadrunner community by those who loved him, including Atherton who took Diaz in when he needed a place to live.
Atherton said she first met Diaz when her daughter asked if he could live with them temporarily as he looked for a job and sustainable income. Four months had passed, and Diaz was presented with an ultimatum: either find a job and pay rent or go to school full-time.
“He decided to go to school even though he thought college ‘was for rich white kids with nothing to do,’” Atherton explained. “But he said that when he walked into a classroom (at CHC), he was hooked that very first day.”
Diaz had big plans for the future. Before his death, he had been accepted into the University of California, Berkeley and aspired to earn his Ph.D. in English literature and teach at the college level, all while serving his community as a priest in the Orthodox Christian Church. He died while on his way to attend Easter service on April 7, 2015.
Atherton hopes scholarships awarded through the memorial fund will make an impact on a student’s life. When asked what Diaz’s reaction would have been knowing the fund was established in his honor, Atherton said he would have been “very, very proud.”
“When he lived with us for those few years, he became my son in every way. I just want his memory to live on forever,” Atherton said, and said that prior to his death, Diaz had finally “found his spot in the world.”
“He would have been happy to know that someone else would be getting some help along the way,” she said. “Education can change your life.”
The Foundation remains committed to raising the additional $5,000 to fully endow the fund. To make a donation or learn more about Adam’s scholarship, visit craftonhills.edu/diaz
