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Whether it was inviting friends to go see the latest concert at the Hollywood Bowl, devoting his time to the students at the Community Education Center, or playing the piano, Ernesto Santana kept an active life despite his handicap, those who knew him best miss Santana’s positive attitude and overall down-to-earth personality.The PCC alumnus and CEC tutor died on Nov. 2, due to complications following an automobile accident on Oct. 16.
Santana was riding in a Public Handicap Access Van when the accident happened.

Santana attended PCC and transferred to UCLA three years ago. He studied Spanish and wanted to become a certified interpreter.
As a tutor at the CEC for the past nine years, Santana worked with all students including international and bilingual students, helping them cross the language barrier and fine-tuning their computer skills.

“He lived with integrity,” said good friend and former fellow tutor Quy Tran.

“He would never complain. Sometimes people in his condition are mad at the world, but Ernesto had so much patience and such an optimistic view on everything,” Tran added.

Santana suffered from Osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease which results in extremely brittle bones, which confined him to a remote-control wheelchair.

Tran recalls the good times he had with his friend.

“We would watch movies together like ‘The Godfather’ and we would act like the characters and talk to each other in their voices. Every summer he would invite a group of us with him to the concerts at Hollywood Bowl. He was a good time,” said Tran.

Despite his condition, Santana kept himself busy.

“He always stayed active, even if it took him two hours to get somewhere on the bus he would go,” said Susana Santana, Ernesto’s sister.

He was content with his life in the Pasadena community, taking advantage of nearby entertainment venues, indulging in local theater and music concerts.

He would attend seminars to listen to well-known public speakers. On one occasion he met Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu Túm, a moment he was very proud of.

“He really inspired me. He always stayed determined and always kept a smile on his face, even after the surgeries he would go through. He would be in pain and still be excited to go to work,” said Susana Santana.

In addition to working as a tutor at the CEC building, Santana also devoted his time to the Disabled Students Programs & Service at PCC, working with other disabled students on campus. When an event would take place in the campus lounge, Santana could be found supplying the entertainment by playing the piano, as he was an accomplished pianist.

“He was remarkable,” said Dan Haley, professor at PCC and librarian at Shatford Library.

“He was one of my students, I would help him in the library from time to time on homework. Considering his condition, he had such a great outlook on things. He was just such a positive person, I’ll always remember him for that,” said Haley.

Santana was also known as the go-to-man for advice and counseling.

“He was a great listener,” said younger sister Aurea Santana.

“My brother was great at listening to what people had to say, and giving them advice. People would come over just to talk to him and get his take on things. I looked up to him.”

Ernesto’s family migrated from Guadalajara, Mexico, in the late 1980s. Santana was to receive his citizenship this December.

Though he was one class shy of graduating from UCLA, the school has agreed to grant him a diploma.

On the legacy her brother would have liked to leave behind, Susana Santana said:

“He would want to be remembered for his big heart and the willingness he had to give so much of himself to others.

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