Community Mourns Loss of James Logan High School Student

The community is mourning the loss of student Jessica Diaz, who unexpectedly passed away 10 days ago.

Services will be held this week for Jessica, 16, who just completed her sophomore year at Logan.

She died on June 18 after suffering heart failure while exercising. An autopsy revealed Jessica had an enlarged heart.

A viewing is scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at , 703 C St., Union City.

Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, also at Our Lady of the Rosary, with a burial to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 1051 Harder Rd., Hayward.

Jessica was a student in the at Logan, which serves Latino and other traditionally underrepresented students, and was also a violinist in the school's string orchestra.

Erika Luna, who was Jessica's counselor this past school year and last saw her on the last day of school, described her as an honors student who was friendly, happy and dedicated to becoming the first person in her family to attend college.

"She was so invested and she put her heart into what she did," which drew admiration from her peers, Luna said.

"All of her friends really loved her," she said.

News of her death was a shock to those who knew her, Luna said.

About 100 students, teachers and counselors held an intimate memorial on campus last Tuesday, which was also attended by her family, to celebrate her life.

The orchestra played music in her memory, students wrote notes of condolences on posters for her family, and many came up to the mic to share stories of Jessica and what they learned from this experience, Luna said.

"The whole event was pretty powerful," Luna said.

In a blog post, Jonatan Garibay, a friend and fellow Logan student, described Jessica not only as a talented violinist in the high school string orchestra but a huge fan of Korean pop music and a joyful person with a bright smile.

"She had such a beautiful smile. She was always a joyful and relaxed person. Just seeing her smile would brighten up anyone’s day," he wrote.

Friends also created a page on Facebook in Jessica's memory.

Jessica was an only child who lived at home with her father. A memorial fund has been set up to help the family pay for these unexpected funeral expenses.

Checks can be written to Jessica Diaz and/or Santos Diaz, her father, and deposited with Bank of America (Account No. 10663-77631) or mailed to the attention of teacher Julie Panebianco at James Logan High 1800 H St., Union City, CA 94587.