We are devastated to hear of the passing of Sophia Akimi Troetel, daughter of AAJA member Shannon Troetel. Troetel grew up attending AAJA conventions, often at her mother’s side.
Photos courtesy of the Troetel family
Troetel was struck and killed on Thursday, October 30, by a reckless driver in Tucson, where she was attending college at The University of Arizona. Her boyfriend Josiah Patrick Santos and close friend Katya Rosaura Castillo-Mendoza were both also killed.
Troetel is remembered as a vibrant, kind, generous and thoughtful young woman whose impact was felt in all communities she touched, including in New York, where she grew up and attended Brooklyn Tech. At The University of Arizona, she was pursuing a double major in psychology and Spanish. Her impact on the Arizona community was deep, where she was general manager of the student radio station and a volunteer at the Pima County Attorney’s Office’s victim services division. She had just turned 21 and had celebrated with loved ones.
Our hearts are incredibly heavy for the entire Troetel family right now, as well as all those who were part of Troetel’s life. We will keep them all in our thoughts and continue to support Troetel’s family in any way that we can.
Please send condolences to the AAJA-New York chapter at aajanychapter@gmail.com.
– The Asian American Journalists Association and the AAJA-New York chapter
