LYNN — It’s been over eight months since the Essex Street shooting, which took the lives of Abraham Diaz and Jandriel Heredia, and injured three other victims.
In honor of her late son, Ivelisse Garcia teamed up with the Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund to create the Jandriel Heredia Scholarship, which will be awarded to the first recipient at the gala on Wednesday.
“It means a lot that after all this sadness and this great loss that something good came out, something amazing,” Garcia said. “And, we’re going to give back to the community and to those kids out there that need it.”
She said the process was quick, as the funds were collected in two weeks.
“Not only were we accepted by the organization, but we also, like in a matter of two weeks, we came up with the funds that were donated,” Garcia said.
Garcia said she and her family came up with the idea for the scholarship, due to Heredia’s determination to succeed.
“He worked. He was going to school. He had goals and dreams that were cut short,” she said about her son. “We just randomly came up with (the scholarship) and thought that it would be a good example and it would be a good thing to honor his name and his legacy.”
The scholarship is for male Latino’s, like Heredia, and the first year’s recipient is a student from Heredia’s alma mater KIPP Academy, due to all of the support Garcia received from the school.
Garcia said she looked for somebody “that has that drive to (be an) entrepreneur,” when choosing this year’s recipient, who will be surprised with the honor at the gala.
“It’s amazing that at such a young age (Heredia) had drive to achieve things. He had his own business where he detailed cars,” Garcia said. “He did such a good job and he knew so many people that wanted to support him. And not just that, he also went to school for plumbing. He got his license for plumbing.”
Heredia opened up his own shop for car detailing after having the business for two years, and was on the honor roll at Bunker Hill Community College.
“(Heredia) wanted to succeed, he wanted to have a future for him and for his family. He always thought about me and his sisters,” Garcia said.
Garcia said he was just shy of 21-years-old when he died due to injuries sustained during the Essex Street shooting.
“Just a baby,” she said.
“My son was a great kid, and it shows in the amount of support and love that I have received from not just the family, which is expected, but the community,” Garcia said. “The Lynn community has been amazing.”
Tickets for a table at the gala are $75, with all funds going to the scholarship fund, and can be purchased here.
