Student Mourned After Drowning During Beach Cleanup In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — A valedictorian candidate from a Boyle Heights magnet school drowned during a volunteering event in Santa Monica, the coroner's office confirmed Thursday.

Thuy Tran, 17, was thought to be taking part in a beach cleanup on Saturday when she was reported missing. An hour later, she was found in the water and rushed to a hospital, where she died the next day.

The medical examiner determined her death was "accidental by drowning."

Tran was a senior track star at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School, where a moment of silence was held Thursday morning in Tran's honor. Her teammates wore maroon ribbons to remember her.

Tran's teammate, Salma Son, said she was trying to come to terms with her friend's death. "I'd didn't want to believe it. Everyone at school is really sad. Sometimes you see people crying in the hallways. I cried, not at school, but at home."

In a statement, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Michelle King wrote: "Our hearts go out to the relatives and friends of this exceptional young woman. Although the volunteer activity was not a school-sponsored event, this tragedy is a loss for all of L.A. Unified."

Some students CBS2/KCAL9's Amber Lee spoke with said the victim was with a group of friends picking up trash on Saturday. But Los Angeles County lifeguards said Tran was not doing cleanup when they got the call to rescue her.

"I guess she got in the water. And she couldn't swim. So she drowned," Son said. "She is the valedictorian. My only wish is to keep her as valedictorian. Do not give anyone else that. Just keep her."

Tran was remembered as a sweet, genuine young woman with a promising future.