Loss of Achiever Shakes UCLA

Cynthia Rabuy was on her way home from campus when an allegedly drunk driver struck her car last week, ending her life weeks before she was to graduate with honors from UCLA.

Rabuy’s death has shaken the Westwood campus, where she was a prominent student leader. Even at a school with 37,000 students, Rabuy, 23, was well-known to many as a calming influence in even the most heated campus controversies. She had served as a student council member and had been chairwoman of the board of directors for Associated Students of UCLA.

News of Rabuy’s fatal accident on the San Diego Freeway late last Wednesday and accounts of her impact on campus life have been front-page features in the campus paper. After her death that night, scores of students gathered outside the building housing the offices of student organizations -- where Rabuy had spent much of her time -- to mourn their friend and leader.

A formal memorial service will be held on campus today. The university will present Rabuy’s parents with a posthumous bachelor’s degree.

Rabuy had majored in English and minored in public policy and education. She was on track to graduate cum laude in June, then planned to teach English in Japan. Later, she hoped to attend graduate school in education, with the goal of becoming a counselor or professor.

The young woman was driving to her Culver City home Wednesday when her Dodge Neon stalled in the left lane of the freeway, just north of Washington Boulevard, shortly before midnight. She was struck from behind by Christopher T. Ervin, 31, of Long Beach.

Ervin had been speeding and was later found to be intoxicated, said Shemeil Coleman, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s West Los Angeles office. Rabuy’s car burst into flames, Coleman said, and Ervin has been booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

In her student government work, Rabuy was known for fairness, said Thamsanqua Ngubeni, director of UCLA’s community programs office. For instance, she was a member of Samahang Pilipino, a Filipino student group, but also a financial officer on the undergraduate council that funds student groups.

“The Samahang people were angry at her, saying, ‘You’re not representing our interests.’ She said, ‘I represent everybody’s interests.’ She got everybody to forget their color and ethnicity.”

Born in Oakland, Rabuy grew up in Fremont. She was senior class president at John F. Kennedy High School, and earned eight varsity letters in basketball, volleyball and badminton. She was the third child in her family to attend UCLA, and was active in the Roman Catholic Church.

“She had a lot of faith, and we know she’s now doing important work as an angel,” said her sister, Marlo Beall.