April 5, 1995 – Feb. 2, 2017
The Harvey Mudd community mourns the loss of Willie Zuniga ’17, a talented physics major, mentor, leader and friend to many. Zuniga passed away on Feb. 2.
Willie was passionate about understanding the universe and was pursuing a career in astrophysics. Along with a humanities concentration in philosophy, he held a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship in physics and planned to pursue a PhD then teach.
During his time at Harvey Mudd, Willie worked on several major research projects in astrophysics. He conducted summer research at the University of Illinois on NaI crystals to be used in dark matter detectors in the South Pole and, with the Enriched Xenon Observatory, searched for the neutrino-less double beta decay of Xe-136. He worked with a team of students in the Harvey Mudd Astrophysics lab of professors Greg Lyzenga ’75 and Michael Storrie-Lombardi to develop a robotic arm that attached to a remote-controlled vehicle designed to search for signs of microbial life in extreme environments on Earth as well as other planets.
Willie was a student leader and mentor, dedicated to helping others succeed. He was a proctor for Atwood residence hall and a leader in Harvey Mudd’s Society of Professional Latinxs in STEM (SPLS), Chicano Latino Student Affairs and Claremont Caballeros. He was also a youth mentor for Chinese Progressive Association in his home town of San Francisco, among other endeavors.
He was a strong advocate for underrepresented groups. Willie wrote in 2015 about becoming a Mellon Mays Fellow: “It really helps motivate someone when they have a person in their life who went through what they’re going through, and who can be there for them as a mentor and a friend. I hope to make the most of [this fellowship] and have a real impact in supporting underrepresented groups in higher education and academia.”
In his free time, Willie loved listening to music and playing guitar.
The son of Guillermo and Sara Zuniga of San Francisco, California, Willie is survived by his parents and two younger brothers, Andrew and Nicholas.
Contributions to help raise funds for the memorial can be made at Willie Zuniga’s Memorial Funding.
Memories of Willie Zuniga '17
Maria Torres
Dean at Chicano Latino Student Affairs
La comunidad Latina de Claremont esta de luto por la perdida de Willie, quien fue gran amigo, lider, mentor, brillante estudiante y persona honorable. Su inteligencia era sin igual, con una sonrisa siempre en los labios, el llenaba de alegria nuestros corazones. Wille que siempre estaba enfocado en sus estudios y deseaba ser profesor para alludar a su familia adorada. Willie fue un joven respetado y admirado por todos. Hoy el cielo amanecio llorando y nosotros lloramos tambien porque Willie ahora es un estrella en el firmamento.
Michael Storrie-Lombardi, M.D. (Ret.)
Research Advisor, Physics
Willie loved physics. He worked with me on several projects infusing each of them with joy, hope, and enthusiasm. At the time of his death he was deeply involved in our Engineering Clinic project for City of Hope Department of Surgery to develop a laser spectroscopy technique that could rapidly identify breast cancer. His talent, his joy were such gifts to us all – I just miss him, but will always, always remember. Hugs to all. Mike
Erica Quinn '19
I am a Mentor in the dorm where Willie was Proctor
Willie was a very understated person. He would do wonderful things for people, and make them sound small and easy. In one of our weekly Mentor-Proctor meetings, he casually mentioned that he’d spent one whole day of his weekend with somebody who was having a tough time, but he said it in such a way that I almost didn’t notice that that was something special. He was willing to give anything to help people. I never heard him say a negative thing about anybody, and there wasn’t a person he didn’t care about.
At the beginning of the school year I was having a hard time, and Willie was there to support me. He made me feel so comfortable that I immediately opened up to him. One of his strongest skills was being a good listener. Instead of trying to fix the situation, he validated my feelings, and he made me feel less alone.
He encouraged our Mentor-Proctor team to be closer to each other. My favorite thing that we did together was telling our life stories. It was amazing to hear what he’d already accomplished and how excited he was about some of the things he did.
He was a beautiful soul, and I don’t fully understand his loss yet. Even though he didn’t get to do all of the good that he had planned, he still had a tremendous impact on the Mudd community and the people who knew him. I hope to go forward with the love I have for him and use it to help others as he would have done. All my love to his family and friends during this inconceivably difficult time.
The Reeve Family '17
Our son, Michael, is a classmate and friend
Our sympathy to the Zuniga family. Our son enjoyed being Willie’s friend and appreciated Willie’s leadership at Atwood. Willie has made a strong positive impact on the lives of many others and blessed those who had the opportunity to know him.
The Echevarria Family '17
Our deepest condolences to the Zuniga family and to the HMC family in this difficult time.
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