Daniel Contreras-Francisco died along with three of his family members on Saturday in Stamford, Connecticut.
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READ | 4 Philadelphia residents die in overnight crash on I-95N in Connecticut
On Tuesday, Temple University officials announced that Contreras-Francisco was a chapter president at the fraternity Lambda Theta Phi and had just walked across the graduation stage on Friday.
The university stated, in part:
This is a tragedy in every sense of the word, and we collectively mourn the loss of Daniel and his family members, Joel Francisco Contreras-Paniagua, Lorena Contreras Francisco Reyes, and Joel E. Contreras Francisco. The loss of their lives represents a heartbreaking end to a week that had been filled with such promise. Just last Friday, Daniel walked into the University College's Commencement ceremony as he was just one class short of earning his bachelor of general studies degree. He was set to start his final class this week.
You can read the full press release here.
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A vigil was held for Contreras-Francisco on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the campus Bell Tower.
There, dozens of classmates came out to honor Contreras-Francisco and said what happened was an unexpected tragedy.
"I saw him the night they left. Literally, the best person to have in your life," said Temple grad student Brandy Fernandez.
One by one mourners lit candles to remember Contreras-Francisco and his family.
"This puts life into perspective. Life can be gone in a second. Pause and soak it all in, you don't know when it's gone," said Temple student Diego Scarpone.
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Friends of the late student said he was an education major and was just accepted into Temple's graduate school. They all say he wanted to help others, especially children.
Connecticut State Police say the crash that killed Contreras-Francisco and his family took place in the early morning on I-95 North.
Police stated that the Contreras-Francisco's SUV collided with the back of a tractor-trailer.
The Philadelphia family died due to the collision, while the tractor-trailer's driver was uninjured, police say.
It is unclear why the Contreras-Francisco family was in Connecticut.