Anne Le
AS Beat Reporter
Last Monday marked the eighth anniversary of the mass shooting that occurred in the Isla Vista (I.V.) community on May 23, 2014. UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) students gathered at the I.V. Love and Remembrance Garden to commemorate the lives that were lost in the tragic event.
The 2014 IV shooting took the lives of six UCSB students: George Chen, Katherine Breann Cooper, Cheng Yuan “James” Hong, Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, Weihan “David” Wang, and Veronika Elizabeth Weiss. Along with the six victims, 14 other students were injured during the shooting.
The 8th Anniversary event held at the I.V. Love and Remembrance Garden lasted for the entire day for students to drop by and pay their respects. To commemorate the lives of the six victims, UCSB students and other community members brought tea lights and flowers to the garden. In their remembrance and grief, community members shared a moment of reflecting and mourning for the lives of their fellow university members.
Following the event, Chancellor Yang issued a statement for the remembrance event. In his closing remarks, he shared, “We use this moment to continue to build up our community, to be united in spirit, and to keep the light of our six students, shining brightly and eternally, as we carry the torch of their memory.”
Chancellor Yang discussed the Memorial Scholarships, a series of scholarships that were created in memory of the victims to continue their legacy. Over the last eight years, 48 awards were given to students who have displayed the same traits and determination as the six students.
In remembrance of their roles and involvement within the school and campus community, The Bottom Line revisited the descriptions shared from the schools memorial, “We Remember.”
George Chen
Chen was a computer science major born in Ottawa, Canada and was good at math and active in swimming, hiking, and tennis. He was well known for his bright energy and smile that lit up an entire classroom.
Weihan “David” Wang
Wang migrated from China to Canada and then to the United States with his parents. Wang was a quiet, kind, and humble computer engineering major who helped create a campus guide map called “Gaucho Life” for his computer programming class.
Christopher Michaels-Martinez
Martinez was an English major with aspirations to attend law school. Outside of school, Martinez was known as a humble and athletic student who played basketball and loved to read.
Katie Cooper
Cooper was known as the “Mama Bear” in her sorority, Tri Delta. Her peers remarked that she portrayed selflessness, generosity, and a kind and caring heart. Hailing from Chino Hills, California, Cooper was also an art history and classics double major.
Veronika Weiss
Weiss was also a Tri Delta sorority sister. Born in Seattle, Weiss played many sports such as water polo, swim, cross country, and softball. She was known to have an “energetic presence and positive attitude” among her sorority sisters as well as other students, and was remarked as a strong leader and student advocate.
Cheng Yuan “James” Hong
Hong was an international student who grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. Hong was an outgoing and helpful computer engineering major who participated in the programming marathon sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
To learn more about the victims and the legacies they have left behind with their memorial scholarships, visit the Student Life website and Chancellor Yang’s original 2014 statement.