Azalea Corral is graduating from the University of California Riverside in 2022
Two years after the tragic accident of her parents being killed in an alleged DUI, Azalea Corral is one of 7,272 students eligible to graduate this June in 2022.
Her parents succumbed to bodily injuries after a drunk driver struck them while they were out on their usual evening stroll in Goleta, a community about 12 miles west of Santa Barbara in early 2020.
A month later, UC Riverside shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Corral, 22, got to stay home to help her three siblings navigate online learning. Together they tried to cope with the tragic loss.
Losing both parents did not deter Corral from completing her studies and graduating in four years. She has kept a busy schedule with clubs, research, a job, and home responsibilities. Now that she’s back on campus, she still makes the three-hour drive several times a month to check up on the siblings still at home.
“If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I don’t know if I would be here today. Two years ago, it was so important to have the four of us together,” said Corral, who is double majoring in anthropology and Latin American studies. “My maternal grandmother came to stay with us, my paternal grandparents live 10 minutes away. I’ve had a community behind me.”
She was selected as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program participant and, for the past two years, has been taking an anthropological look at the effect of having or not having access to diversity and equity programs on or near college campuses.
Her father, Adolfo Corral was the equity, diversity, and cultural competency coordinator for Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). After years of staying home to raise four kids, her mother, Mary Jane Becerra Corral, had started working as a computer specialist at a Goleta elementary school. The couple, both first-generation Mexican Americans, met while studying at UC Santa Barbara.
“People keep talking about how positive (Adolfo) was. How he was a great asset to SBCC. The students treasured and loved his endless support and guidance. I know they would appreciate everything from everyone.” said Azalea.
Corral and her younger sister often saw their dad go above and beyond to help high school and community college students.
“He would bring me and my sister to help set up and clean up after events. He took high school students to the college or to conferences,” said Corral. “I think my dad and mom being first-generation Mexican American students motivated them to serve. My dad just wanted to help his community. They’re the reason I’m graduating.”
In August, Corral starts a two-year masters in international and multicultural education at the University of San Francisco.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/KTAQa69oAjA
- https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2022/05/26/drunk-driver-killed-her-parents-now-shes-graduating-honor-them
- https://newspress.com/tough-but-its-going-to-be-ok-hundreds-honor-the-legacy-of-mary-jane-and-adolfo-corral-with-memorial-at-santa-barbara-city-college/
- https://us-east-2.console.aws.amazon.com/polly/home/SynthesizeSpeech
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