An LBCC student who worked closely with the Justice Scholars Program died on Halloween after his truck flipped on the 101 freeway near Humboldt County on his drive back from Oregon.
Irving Alvarez, 28,was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash according to the California Highway Patrol(CHP).
Alvarez was traveling with his dog Pete, whom he’d rescued from a life of neglect, along with a friend and her dog.
The passenger, Ariella Gaughan, survived sustaining major injuries as did her dog, Zeke. Alvarez’s dog was unable to be saved and died.
“It was a long day,” Gaughan said while recounting the events leading up to the accident. “I was asleep and woke up to the sound of a loud bang. Then I felt us rolling.”
Alvarez was traveling southbound when his car swerved, hitting a tree before rolling multiple times, coming to a stop in the northbound lane. CHP reported that neither passenger was wearing a seatbelt.
While no cause has been officially established for the accident, Gaughan thinks Alvarez may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
“It truly was just an accident,” Gaughan said.
Gaughan, who faces up to 6 months of recovery for fractures to her foot, spine, collarbone and femur, considers herself lucky to be alive to tell the world about Irving and his impact.
“Those last days were so beautiful,” Gaughan said.
On Oct. 28, Guaghan and Alvarez ventured up North to meet with members of the Chickasaw Nation to speak to them about plans for outreach programs.
“We decided to make a trip of the whole thing. We ventured to Oregon. We drove along the coast. The dogs got to run around and play. It was so special,” said Gaughan.
While her time with Alvarez was brief, they’d only met in May of this year, Gaughan is grateful for the time they spent together as partners in advocacy and community outreach.
“In a way, I feel like he and Pete were two underappreciated souls that found each other and now, people will know just how great they were,” Gaughan said.
Advocacy and community outreach was an important aspect of Alvarez’s life.
Alvarez assisted with the Justice Scholars Program at LBCC, a program that supports formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students.
As a re-entry navigator, his role within the program was to provide guidance to students re-entering society after incarceration.
“He was a leader and made such a great impact in such a short amount of time,” Sara Rodriguez, of the Justice Scholars program said.
For students in the program, Alvarez’s death came as a shocking blow.
“They’re out of that lifestyle and trying to better their lives so things like this aren’t supposed to happen, you know,” Rodriguez said.
The program reserves Mondays for a talk entitled, “Recovery Matters,” during which students are able to speak on their struggles and triumphs while navigating their new lives.
This monday, the conversation was geared toward gratitude and students were given space to speak on how Alvarez’s passing affected them.
Originally a Georgia native, Alvarez always possessed the qualities of a leader. His family, who still live in Athens, are proud of the outreach work he’s done in California.
His younger sister Lynsey Alvarez recalled fond memories of being nurtured and cared for by her brother while their parents worked long hours to support them.
“He was just good like that,” Lynsey Alvarez said.
In contemplating the life of her brother, she spoke of his involvement with the street life that would lead to a series of incarcerations for him throughout his teens.
“He was diagnosed with cancer at 13,” Lynsey Alvarez said. “He saw so many other people with cancer die so when he didn’t I guess that made him feel invincible.”
Due in part to the environment they grew up in and his desire to seem tough and in control after a diagnosis that once made him feel helpless, Alvarez became entrenched in a rough crowd.
At 19, Alvarez came to visit family in California where he fell into trouble, leading to an arrest, and spending five years in prison.
In prison, Alvarez developed what he would later express to his sister as “both soft and hard skills.”
He learned to value his education while navigating the harsh world of prison.
After his release, he kept his focus on education and rehabilitation.
In 2018, Alvarez enrolled in the YouthBuild Charter School of California and graduated last fall.
He went on to pursue an education at LBCC and involved himself with nonprofits such as Brothers Sons Selves who advocate for young men of color and Sunflower Foster Youth Investment who provide assistance to former and current foster care youth.
At Sunflower, Alvarez was an executive director, working closely with founder Jaci Cortez.
“He brought an element that not many people think about when dealing with foster youth,” Cortez said. “He thought about those who were touched by the criminal justice system.”
Cortez has been in close contact with Alvarez’s family following his death and has plans to establish a scholarship in his name with the help of his sister, Lynsey.
“All I can do now is continue to try and be the leader he saw in me,” Cortez said.
Alvarez’s family arrived in Los Angeles on Nov. 7 for a final viewing before he was cremated.
“There are so many people who want to pay their respects so there will be a couple of ceremonies,” said Lynsey Alvarez. “We figured this would be the easiest way to make sure that he’ll be with us for all of it.”
Lynsey Alvarez is touched by the outpouring of love she and her family have received from those who worked closely with her brother.
“What happened was sad and devastating but I have grown to appreciate his work. He did so much in such a short amount of time,” she said. “In a way, he kind of lives in all of us.”