Ten years ago, on March 30, 2013, Jacob Valdiviezo ’11 was murdered in the Mission District of San Francisco.
He returned home from Lewis and Clark College for spring break, which was a surprise visit for his family and friends, as Valdiviezo initially told them he could not make the trip.
However, what was a joyous surprise turned into a deadly tragedy.
Valdiviezo was walking home with a friend at around 3 a.m. They were at 24th and Bryant streets when a man jumped out of a gray sedan, asked Valdiviezo if he was affiliated with a gang, and then shot him multiple times.
Valdiviezo later died at San Francisco General Hospital.
Valdiviezo’s family and friends remember him as a good man. They affirm he had no gang affiliation.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “(Orlando) Hernandez received a 25-year sentence” in April of this year.
Valdiviezo, 19, was an accomplished scholar and athlete. He attended Riordan, where he played football for four years and graduated with honors in 2011.
Continuing his academic and athletic career, Valdiviezo attended Lewis and Clark College. He was a sophomore, on a football scholarship while studying economics.
The impact he made in his short life has not gone unnoticed. Achieve, a local scholarship program that Validiviezo was a member of, established the “Jacob Scholarship,” which helps graduating Achieve seniors with college expenses.
Christopher Dominguez ’25, a member of the Achieve Program, said, “The Jacob Scholarship is just a small way to honor the amazing life he lived.”
Jeirome Nunez ’16 said, “I did not know Jacob personally, but a lot of my upperclassmen friends did. They only said great things about him. His death hit them hard.”
Valdiviezo’s story touched the hearts of many San Franciscans. Former San Francisco 49ers player Aldon Smith tweeted, “My prayers go out to the Valdiviezo family. #ripjacob.” Another 49ers player, Patrick Willis, gave the Valdiviezo family a signed jersey, sending his condolences.
Today, Valdiviezo’s life legacy lives on. A Facebook page named Remembering Jacob Valdiviezo has been posting since his death in 2013. It reminds those who knew Jacob about his life, and welcomes those who did not know Jacob to share in it. Today, Valdiviezo would have been 30 years old.
Valdiviezo’s story is a reminder of how precious life is. It can be taken in an instant, so it must be lived to the fullest. Living to the fullest is exactly what Jacob Valdiviezo did.
