Aurelio Saucedo was a model student as a freshman at Sonoma State in 1985. He was a first-generation college student and immigrant from Mexico, who spoke little English when he first arrived in California at the age of 16. He received support from the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at Sonoma State and became a top student, president of MEChA de Sonoma, and part of the Intercultural Advisory Board. He had dreams of attending law school. 

“He was an inspiration because of all the adversities he had dealt with and overcome as a disadvantaged student,” said Amal Munayer, an academic advisor for the EOP and a Native American Initiative Representative, “He succeeded, he worked hard, utilized the services of EOP, and he exemplified the potential for success that we want for our students.”

One day, during his commute to class, Saucedo was tragically killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver.

To commemorate the loss of such a brilliant Seawolf, the EOP honors Saucedo by awarding a $500 scholarship in his name to another exemplary EOP first-year who overcomes challenges and has promise for the future. 

This year, however, was to be the last year that the EOP would have the funding to award the scholarship, until The Dailey Method Healdsburg Barre + Cycle Studio’s owner, Catherine Ziegler, stepped in. The studio donated proceeds from an outdoor barre class and also held a GoFundMe fundraiser where anyone could donate to help keep the EOP running in order to guide and support students.

Ziegler and her fitness studio have a history of supporting diversity and inclusion efforts within the community; they have previously held a Black Lives Matter fundraiser that donated to a nonprofit. In addition to the fundraising for the EOP, which raised almost $4,000, including $1,000 from Ziegler personally, the studio held a raffle for gift cards to Asian-owned businesses in order to combat anti-Asian racism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an article for SSU News, Ziegler said that she and her studio, “…intend to empower individuals to become their most vibrant and authentic selves through a mind/body transformation within a compassionate and supportive community.” 

“We feel really grateful that The Dailey Method Healdsburg reached out to us in support of diversity and inclusion efforts,” Munayer said. “The funds raised are going to be used to support EOP’s Aurelio Saucedo Freshman Achievement Award Scholarship. This was going to be last year that we had money in the bucket to afford the scholarship. But Catherine and the fundraiser were able to raise up to $2,800, and Catherine donated $1,000 herself so we can continue the scholarship for next year.”

EOP is a program designed to support historically underserved and underrepresented students at Sonoma State. With this funding, they can continue to provide academic advising, co-curricular programming, and advocacy throughout campus with admissions and financial aid for disadvantaged students that might not have otherwise received the support necessary to succeed in college.

“Our intention in EOP is to support graduation, retention, outreach and recruitment, and high GPAs for underrepresented and underserved students. We hope to continue to grow, thrive, and support the department and our students and their experiences at the institution,” Munayer said, “We care, nurture, support, advocate, and provide for our students to ensure that they make it all the way through college and graduate. It’s really work of the heart, and we’re glad that we were able to galvanize the community through The Dailey Method studio’s service to our students.”

Anyone attending a class from The Dailey Method Healdsburg studio can feel good knowing that they are supporting an organization that fosters an inclusive and welcoming community in Sonoma County. Though The Dailey Method Healdsburg’s GoFundMe fundraiser has concluded, those wishing to support the EOP or donate to the Aurelio Saucedo Freshman Achievement Award Scholarship can do so online at eop.sonoma.edu.