The halls of MACES feel different without Diego Valencia. A friend to many, a classmate to all and a teammate on and off the field, Diego’s presence left a mark that will not fade. In his absence, MACES has found a way to honor him, not through silence, but through stories.
Camp Surf
“My friendship with Diego is like no other,” senior Ryan Zamora said. “He’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
Zamora, who meets Diego in kindergarten, describes him as “someone I trusted with my life.” The two share everything from advice to jokes to early morning texts.
“If he wasn’t the first person I went to about something, he was definitely the second,” Zamora said. “I could text him at any time, whether it was 7:00AM or 1:00AM, and he would answer right away, without hesitation.”
Their favorite memory is a fifth-grade trip to Camp Surf. In their AP Government class, just saying “Camp Surf… would spark a smile,” Zamora said. “From playing ‘gaga ball’ together to laughing at Alejandro for crying when he climbed the rock wall, Camp Surf was our thing.”
Bonnie and Clyde
Senior Michael Valdez meets Diego in freshman year Spanish with Ms. Sullivan. “I always sat in the back by myself,” Valdez said. “Then Walter, Alexis and Diego came over. After that day we all became friends.”
Their connection grows stronger with every class they share. “If we had a class together, I already knew it was going to be a good one,” Valdez said. “We always made each other laugh and spilled so much tea together.”
Valdez remembers teaming up with Diego for senior assassin. “We spent all day together getting kills and having fun,” he said. “I had to run a mile just to get to my car so he wouldn’t get killed since he couldn’t run.”
The two also bond over cards and magic tricks. “There was a trick I wanted to show him but couldn’t,” Valdez said. “So I’m showing everyone else now. I know he would’ve loved it.”
Asked to describe Diego in one word, “Strong. He would go through so much and come back with a smile on his face ready to make everyone laugh.” Valdez said.
Late-Night Drives
“I met Diego in sixth grade from Alejandro,” senior Adrian Escartin said. “Since they knew each other already, he introduced me to him and we started talking more and eating lunch together.”
Escartin describes their bond as effortless. “We could not talk for months and still be close like nothing ever happened,” Escartin said. “We understood things really similarly. He always found a way to make me laugh, even during AP testing.”
He remembers a moment from a group trip: “Marlon, Michael, Diego and I were at this pier just talking, having a good time,” he said. “Then Ms. Hanson came up behind us and took a photo, laughing and saying we ‘look like old men.’”
After a dance, the laughter continues. “We were dancing the whole night, having fun, and on the way home we were laughing the entire time,” Escartin said. “He rolled down the window to wave at a friend, then told me to drive off. We even saw Ryan walking and rolled down the window to talk to him.”
Diego had simple plans for the night: “He wanted to go to IHOP then to the after party,” Escartin said. “That’s just Diego.”
Frenemies
Senior Emely Cardenas meets Diego in Pre-K and stays by his side from San Antonio Elementary to their final year at MACES. “We started out at San Antonio in Pre-K and continued in the same class all the way through elementary,” Cardenas said. “I’ve never not gone to the same school as Diego.”
Their friendship, she says, is “frenemies.” “As kids we annoyed each other a lot,” Cardenas said. “He was a troublemaker, I was a goody-two-shoes, and we clashed. But as we grew up, we found ways to get along—still bugging each other always, but appreciating the fun and company we gave each other.”
One day in fourth grade sticks out. “Our table group was on cleanup duty at the duck pond,” she said. “A peer of ours accidentally fell in, and our whole group tried—and probably failed—to keep in our laughter. Even in high school, we’d say, ‘Remember when he fell in the pond?’ and just crack up.”
Asked to describe Diego in one word, Cardenas said: “Brave.”
KitKats and Freestyles
Senior Nathalia Ybarra remembers Diego as the creative heart of their friend group. “He would make the beat with his mouth and we would freestyle the dumbest lyrics,” Ybarra said.
The fun extended to a long-running inside joke about junk food. “There was a two-year-long joke where Diego brought up ‘five KitKats’ every time I had junk food because I stole all their KitKats after the five-week grade report card prize came out,” Ybarra said.
For Ybarra, daily “meow reunions,” their group’s nickname, during homeroom are the most special. “It was truly the only time we had all four years to gather and talk,” she said.
Diego also had a habit of writing motivational quotes. “Things like ‘Don’t give up,’ or ‘Don’t protect your heart by pretending not to have one,’” Ybarra said. “That was just a Diego thing.”
The Shoulder Tap
Senior Marlon Perdomo remembers Diego not for deep talks, but for the laughs they always shared.
“Any conversation I had with him ended in a laugh,” he said. A memory from a D.C. trip stands out, Diego would tap Marlon’s shoulder, then act as if it weren’t him.
“It became a running joke that spread to everyone, even the teachers,” Perdomo said. “I felt those same taps at prom, turned, and saw his smirk.” For Marlon, Diego’s legacy is clear, “a positive energy I’ll never forget.”
Diego brought laughter, support and connection. From card games to rock walls, from duck ponds to AP tests, the memories he leaves behind are filled with joy.
He is missed. He is remembered. He is celebrated.
