The vigil will be held at the Founder’s Hall Courtyard on Friday, April 10, at approximately 5 p.m. Open to all, the ceremony will include a moment of silence, and the dedication of a plaque to honor those who lost their lives in the charter bus accident on Interstate 5 near Orland, Calif. Humboldt State remembers those who were lost:
Arthur Arzola, 26
HSU Admissions Counselor
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Michael Lee Myvett Jr., 29
Chaperone with Preview Plus and HSU alum
Los Angeles, Calif.
Mattison Haywood, 25
Chaperone with Preview Plus and HSU alum
Los Angeles, Calif.
Ismael Jimenez, 18
Student at Animo Inglewood Charter High School
Inglewood, Calif.
Jennifer Caroline Bonilla, 17
Student at Dorsey High School
Los Angeles, Calif.
Denise Eraina Gomez, 18
Student at Animo Inglewood Charter High School
Inglewood, Calif.
Adrian Castro, 19
Student at El Monte High School
El Monte, Calif.
Marisa Elaine Serrato, 17
Student at Norte Vista High School
Riverside, Calif.
Talalelei Feleni Lealao-Taiao, 53
Driver of bus
Sacramento, Calif.
Timothy Paul Evans, 32
Driver of truck
Elk Grove, Calif.
Following the accident, over 600 donors made generous contributions in memory of the victims. More than $65,000 was donated to scholarships established by the University.
These funds were paired with an additional $45,000 gift from the Humboldt State University Advancement Foundation in support of the “Arthur Arzola Memorial Scholarship” and the “Michael Myvett and Mattison Haywood Memorial Scholarship.” The scholarships honor Arzola, Myvett, and Haywood’s passion for helping low-income and first-generation college students, and are being used for students who were involved in the bus accident and decided to attend Humboldt State.
Twenty-four students received $1,000 scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year. Of those, twenty-two have decided to return next year and will again receive scholarships. Funds are in place to ensure they receive scholarships for the remainder of their time at HSU. An additional $20,000 in support continues to help HSU students affected by the accident.
Contributions are still welcome for these and other scholarship funds that support low income, first generation college students. Visit alumni.humboldt.edu/giving/accident-memorial-scholarships to support one of the scholarships, or to note another scholarship you would like to support.