Dear members of the Oakes College Community,
We are saddened to write to you with news of Atharva Chinchwadkar, an Oakes student, who was reported missing Sunday, February 21st. It is now known that Atharva passed away in an automobile accident. Their vehicle was located February 27th.
Atharva began at UC Santa Cruz in Fall of 2019 and he was a Junior studying Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics, B.S. We mourn the loss of this treasured member of our Oakes community, and extend our condolences to their family, friends, and loved ones. We understand that sad and shocking news like this can be difficult to process and make sense of.
We encourage students who need support around this tragedy to contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at (831) 459-2628. Faculty and staff may wish to contact the Employee Assistance Program.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marcia Ochoa
Provost, Oakes College
Mike Yamauchi-Gleason
Senior Director - College Student Life, Oakes College
Danny Rodriguez
Academic Preceptor, Oakes College
Mari Ortiz-Mcguire
Associate Director - College Student Life, Oakes College
