MESA, Ariz. — A disciplined, caring, selfless high school senior student athlete is who Olga Lopez mourns. That description also fits two seniors she awarded scholarships to in her son's memory a year after he was murdered.
"This is legacy with purpose," Lopez said.
Her son, Jeremiah Aviles, was killed on May 7, 2023, at a teammate's house.
"What happened to my son is not who my son is," Lopez said.
On May 25, 2023, Aviles was supposed to graduate from Red Mountain High School. However, his name wasn't read during the commencement because of the district's policy at the time.
"We came home that day with just heavy hearts and broken spirits," Lopez said. "And my son looked at me — we were on the couch, you know, puffy-eyed and he looked at me and he said. 'You know, so when are we going to start Jeremiah's apparel store?', And I just looked at him and I was like, 'Well, you tell me.' And he's like, 'Today.'"
That apparel store, Juice Studios, named after Aviles' nickname on the football field, funds the Jeremiah Aviles Scholarship Award through the foundation Lopez founded: The Jeremiah Aviles Foundation.
This year, the scholarship was available to student-athletes at Red Mountain High School and St. Paul High School in California, where Jeremiah attended his first two years.
"It is for a senior athlete for either of the schools that has strong character, that gives back to others, demonstrates Jeremiah's character qualities and work ethic," Lopez said.
Each of the recipients receives a $4,000 scholarship and a year of life coaching.
The first scholarship, awarded a year to the date Aviles would have graduated, went to Red Mountain Senior Payton Maguire, who will play softball next year in college out of state. The other scholarship went to a senior at St. Paul High School.
Lopez said it's Maguire's work with Unified P.E., which serves special education students, that made her think of her son.
"I chose it because I love giving back to my community. I love to do things that are just for more than myself," Maguire said.
This fall, Maguire said she'll start her business degree, which is what Aviles was set to pursue at Arizona State University.
"I was just really grateful," Maguire said on receiving the scholarship. "I think it's a great opportunity, and I hope that I can live up to Jeremiah's name and continue to honor him through this scholarship."
Lopez hopes to double the award amount next year to continue Aviles' legacy.
"Knowing that they will forever remember Jeremiah," Lopez said. "Because as he says like, 'I got you' - he got them."