PAAC - UC Berkeley Pilipino American Alumni Chapter

Grace Rualo Asuncion
October 5, 1971 - February 7, 1992

Grace Rualo Asuncion was born on October 5, 1971, in Los Angeles, California. She is the third of four children born to Edward and Aida Asuncion. She was raised primarily in the City of Agoura Hills where she attended and graduated from Sumac Elementary School in 1982, Lindero Canyon Middle School in 1985, and Agoura High School in 1989. Throughout her childhood, Grace exhibited a strong balance in her life. Academically, Grace earned the distinction in finishing fourth in her graduating class at Agoura High School out of roughly 400 graduates. She represented Agoura High in the Academic Decathlon. Grace also excelled in athletics. Grace lettered in two sports, Cross Country and Track and Field, and helped lead her Cross Country Team to 2nd Place in the California State Cross Country Championships during her senior year at Agoura. Grace left her imprints in the community as well. For three years, she volunteered at Los Robles Hospital, and was publicly recognized for her efforts.

After graduating from Agoura High School, Grace attended the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Molecular Cell Biology. During her freshman her, she became involved in the Pilipino American Alliance (PAA) at the UC-Berkeley, a group aimed at assisting pilipino-americans academically, socially, and professionally, both at school and within the community. Just prior to her junior her junior year, Grace was elected as the Academic Co-chairman for PAA. A student in good standing, targeting medical school, she was roughly a year and half away from completion of her biology degree before her tragic death on February 7, 1992.

Although it has been ten years since her death, Grace will always be remembered as a loving, caring person who would do anything for her family and friends. Her loss is still felt everyday by her family and friends, but her influences are ever evident. The way Grace chose to live her life is an inspiration, not only for those closest to her, but also for the present and future students at UC-Berkeley. Though her life was too short, her legacy will endure forever. She is survived by her parents, Edward and Aida Asuncion, and her siblings, John, Mark, and Danielle.

The Grace Asuncion Memorial Scholarship is designed to recognize and support promising students who not only excel academically and athletically, but also dedicate part of their lives to community involvement. Recipients can be of any race, color, or creed, provided that they encompass those ideals Grace chose to define her life.