Oscar Sura Jr. (Image credit: Courtesy Sura Family)

Dear students, faculty and staff,

It is with profound sadness that I write today to share with you that Stanford undergraduate Oscar Sura Jr. passed away on July 7 while home with his family in Florida.

Oscar arrived at Stanford in fall 2017, the recipient of a Kovner Opportunity Scholarship for outstanding high school students, awarded by an organization based in his home state. His academic interests included computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics. He lived in Okada House during his first two years at Stanford, where he quickly became a beloved member of the community. Okada House Resident Fellow Edith Wu shared these memories:

“He could always be found tinkering away on computers in the foyer or playing foosball with the Okada frosh crew in the lounge. Whatever fun shenanigans were happening in Okada, Oscar was always part of them. Oscar also bonded with our family, creating a multi-year game of tag with our kids with an elaborate set of rules that only they seemed to be able to keep track of. We have many fond memories of Oscar hanging out with us in the RF cottage – he had big ideas for how he wanted to make his mark on the world. Most of all, we’ll always cherish that Oscar treated us as his family. We love him and will miss him dearly.”

From his family, I learned Oscar had an incredible passion for solving challenging problems in financial technology and cybersecurity, in addition to aspirations to push the limits of the mathematics field after he graduated from Stanford. His impressive gifts and unyielding ambition to make his impact on the world were only surpassed by his kind spirit, unique charm and wit, and desire to help those around him in any way possible.

He will be dearly missed by many, and the university has been reaching out to those who knew him best to offer care and support. A loss at any time of year is difficult. A loss while many of us are away for the summer and are unable to gather in person can be especially heartbreaking. Please keep in mind the counseling resources available for Stanford students and faculty and staff, wherever you are at this time.

We are sharing this message with the university community because every member of this community touches so many lives. Here’s more information on how we remember the students we have lost.

Sincerely,

Susie Brubaker-Cole
Vice Provost for Student Affairs