Hundreds of University of Arizona students and community members gathered at the UA Mall on Nov. 2 to grieve the loss of three students killed in a hit and run crash.
The victims honored at the memorial were Josiah Santos, 22, Katya Castillo-Mendoza, 21, and Sophia Troetel, 21. Troetel and Josiah Santos were in a romantic relationship, and Troetel and Castillo-Mendoza were roommates and close friends.
The mourners gathered with candles and remembrance to hear friends and family speak on the Mall. Afterwards, they walked west as a group across campus down University Boulevard and then turned north on Euclid Avenue until they reached the intersection with 2nd Street to see the location where the victims were killed.
Individuals gathered around a memorial made on the corner for the three students. Mourners left flowers, candles and gifts in remembrance of the victims.
Speakers remembered Troetel for her kindness and compassion, as well as the deep love she shared for Josiah Santos and Castillo-Mendoza. She was also the general manager at KAMP Student Radio.
According to one of the speakers, Jordan, Troetel frequented the university’s Safe Ride program, where Jordan worked as a driver. He remembered that she always had a smile on her face and that he always admired her sweet personality.
“I know there are loads of people here who share similar sentiment,” Jordan said to the crowd.
Santos studied Japanese language and theater arts and was a playwright who acted in plays and improv shows. He also was the musical director of the Meow or Never acapella group at the UA. His friends and family spoke with endless stories about his rich sense of humor and incredible ability to spread laughter.
“To know Josiah was to know love,” Santos’s brother said. “You couldn’t be in a room with him and not laugh.”
He remembered Santos’s fondness for singing and read a note to the group that he had written for his brother on the things he will remember about him.
Santos’s improv comedy troupe also shared their fond memories of him. His scene partner got laughter out of the mourners when he shared a story of how Josiah dressed up in a horrible costume of Lord Voldemort after their last show together, complete with white facepaint and made-up spells that he cast upon members of the troupe.
One friend of Santos from his comedy troupe noted that Santos felt alone in his life, adding on behalf of all three victims, “I wish they were here to see how wrong they were.”
Castillo-Mendoza studied finance and real estate development and is remembered by friends for her sharp intellect and confidence in herself.
According to Camila Aguilar, a friend of Castillo-Mendoza from the Latino Lawyers club, she was instantly drawn to Castillo-Mendoza’s energy.
Aguilar remembered how she held hands with Castillo-Mendoza as they danced together at a Hispanic Heritage Month event. She added that Castillo-Mendoza’s nickname for her friend, Troetel, was slaybundles, and how much love they showed for one another.
“Katya was a beautiful and pure soul,” Aguilar said. “The biggest lesson Katya taught me was to share and spread love at all times of the day.”
As the crowd gathered outside the memorial at the intersection where the three students died, many mourners met and shared stories with one another about Santos, Troetel and Castillo-Mendoza, ranging from heartfelt sharing on what the victim meant to them to laughter and fondness, as they recalled a specific fun time they had with them.
The memorial to the victims remains at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Second Street where they were killed, decorated with photos of the victims and items left behind by mourners.
