When asked to describe their daughter, Amber Delgado, her family said: “She was the kind of person you noticed the moment she walked into a room. Her eyes and her radiant smile had this way of lighting everything up. Her energy was endless.”
During this time of profound grief, Delgado’s family reflected on the joy and light that their daughter embodied. Her strength, empathy and motivation for helping others was deeply rooted in her soul.
“She was so full of life and carried her kindness and unconditional love wherever she went,” her family said. “She cared deeply for others, always sharing a word of encouragement or just listening. She had a way of making people feel seen, important, and truly cherished. She lived with purpose, always moving forward, always lifting others along the way. But what truly made her unforgettable was her heart. Her kindness, love and compassion was who she was every single day.”
On Feb. 24, Biola’s Office of the President sorrowfully announced that commuter student and pre-nursing major, Amber Delgado, alongside her brother, Brian Delgado, had tragically passed away in a car accident in Long Beach. The loss of both of them has unimaginably impacted their family; however, despite the difficulty of this time, they were able to share some of their favorite memories of Amber, and how they hope she will be remembered.
MEMORIES OF AMBER
Amidst their loss, the Delgado family has held dearly to the precious memories of their daughter. Her vibrant energy was not limited to Biola’s campus; rather, her family constantly felt Delgado’s spirited personality poured into everything she did.
“Some of our favorite memories of Amber were laughing together while playing Lotería, dominoes, or the Reindeer Antler Ring Toss game during Christmas,” they said. “This past Christmas, she had so much fun learning how to make tamales, embracing the love, tradition, and togetherness of family which is something she truly cherished. She loved family gatherings. Holidays, birthdays, and especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, were times she looked forward to with so much excitement and joy.”
AMBER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
As a member of Biola’s community, Delgado had a strong and loving relationship with the Lord, which was deeply ingrained in her goals to become a nurse.
Her family recalled that Delgado “wrote her prayer requests in her journal and brought them before the Lord, trusting Him with what was in her heart. She lived in a way that reflected Mark 12:30-31: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself.’ That’s exactly how she lived – with love for God and a deep, genuine love for others.”
Her mom also added, “She was always ready to share the Gospel with her dad, her brother Brian, and anyone she felt led to reach. She wanted the message of hope, love and promise that she truly believed could change lives.”
AMBER’S INFLUENCE ON HER COMMUNITY
Delgado’s impact on others, both at home and in school, seemed to know no bounds. Her personality was rooted in making those around her feel loved and seen, and this was deeply felt by her friends and family.
“She had a way of lifting others up, making them feel important and reminding them that they mattered,” her family reflected.
They also shared a message they had received from one of Amber’s friends at Biola. It reads, “Thank you to your family, including her mom, for always being there…Amber would allow me to come over to your home when I was alone here at college, and she would come and stay with me sometimes at the dorms, which led to our close relationship and always let me know if I needed a place to stay, you guys would welcome me with open arms. She was the blessing that God put in my life here at college, because she always made college feel like I was back at home. I considered her more of a sister or family than an actual friend.”
REMEMBERING AMBER
Delgado’s impact has had an eternal effect on her friends, family and community at Biola. As we take this time to remember who Amber was no matter how distant we might’ve been to her, let us cherish the life God breathed into her and the character he gifted her with. Her love for others was profound, and can be evidently seen not only in her chosen career path but through her relationship with the Lord, her friends and her family. Amber wasn’t just a person on our campus or a name on a class roster – she was a meaningful image-bearer who embodied the love of Jesus.
This time we dedicate in remembrance of her isn’t only a vigil, but an opportunity to be grateful that because of the work of our Lord and Savior, death is not the end.
Amber and Brian are survived by their parents, Carolina Turcios and Jorge Delgado. They are also survived by grandparents Blanca Flores and Gloria Delgado, aunts Dania Andazola, Jacqueline Turcios, Blanca Ramos, Jocelyn and Jessica Delgado, uncles Angel Andazola, Lorenzo Medina, Peter, Angel and Marcos Delgado. Additionally by their cousins, Ashley and Janeska Delgado, Angel Andazola (current staff at Biola Campus Safety and a Biola alum), Alexander Andazola (freshman at Biola), Daniel Andazola (Biola alum) and Karina Medina, Julie and Melissa Bonilla.
