EL TECOLOTE (SAN FRANCISCO) -- Three-and-a-half months since the tragic death of San Francisco State University student Gabriela Sanchez, the university finally decided to host a vigil for Sanchez on November 3, a day after Día de los Muertos.
The 23-year-old Sanchez was killed in a automobile crash at around 4am on July 19, while driving to her morning shift at Starbucks. Her sedan collided with a semi truck at an intersection, causing her vehicle to burst into flames.
During the memorial service, Alejandro Pérez presented Mireya Sanchez with her daughter’s San Francisco State University diploma. Friends and family just watched as her mother took the diploma into her arms as she cried.
“We were left with that desire to go to AT&T Park [where SF State holds its graduation] to see her get her diploma,” Mireya said. “My husband always said that he was going to throw her a party because she worked so hard.”