On Monday, Dec. 11, Bonita Vista High (BVH) senior Dominik Latlip passed away in a motorcycle collision on H Street in Chula Vista. According to ABC 10 News, “Police say there were four cars involved in the crash. One of those cars hit the teen.” The following day, a memorial service was held near First Avenue and H Street at 5 p.m., where community members attended to honor Latlip’s life.
One of Latlip’s close friends, BVH senior Haydyn Lopez, attended the memorial service. Although taken by surprise with the unfortunate news, Lopez mentions that it was not until attending Latlip’s service that he registered his friend’s passing.
According to Lopez, Latlip was “sweet” and someone “who would go out of his way for anyone.” Latlip’s connection with others assembled a community of people who attended the service. Some brought photos of Latlip, candles and flowers to the service. The photos were later displayed on the streets in memory of Latlip.
“When I got to the memorial and saw this unity of people that came to celebrate a life that I was good friends with, [I said] ‘There’s no way this is happening’,” Lopez said. “His family was very welcoming. I talked to his grandma and his aunt, and they told stories about him. There were quite a few people that came around to honor his life.”
Additionally, on Friday, Dec. 15, BVH senior Lily Souza, who was one of Latlip’s close friends, held a balloon release at Rohr park at 4:30 p.m., further honoring Latlip. During the gathering, attendees placed heart shaped bags around Latlip’s senior photo. In addition, Latlip’s yearbook was passed around, giving the attendees an opportunity to write a note to Latlip. Near the end of the event, balloons were released.
“I wanted to bring people together, because grief is really complex, and it’s not easy to deal with alone. [Dominik] was an only child, so I wanted his mom to feel supported at that time, because it had just happened,” Souza said.
Moreover, Latlip began Apex Learning—an independent study program—at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, due to the challenges he faced at school and his desire to work. He planned to graduate during December of last year.
To support Latlip’s mother, Souza met with Task Force advisor Christina Ada and Romero to receive Dominik’s senior merchandise that he ordered a week prior. Additionally, Ada lent Souza the 2022-2023 yearbook to collect signatures for Latlip’s mom.
“I was trying to figure out all the teachers [Dominik] had. I had them all sign it, and write a message to his mom,” Souza said. “At the balloon release, [his friends] also wrote in it so that his mom could read something when she misses him.”
Lopez was one of Latlip’s friends who signed the yearbook at the balloon release. Given this, Lopez reminisces back to the special memories he created. He explains that one of his prominent and last memories of Latlip was going to the fast food restaurant “Raising Cane’s,” when he saw Latlip’s motorcycle and decided to write a note for him.
“When I parked, I realized that I was right next to his motorcycle. So, I ripped a piece of paper and wrote a note. I said ‘Yo, this is Haydyn’. As I’m putting it there, he came running because he thought someone was trying to steal his motorcycle,” Haydyn said. “His mother told me he had that note in his pocket [when he passed away], so she gave it to me. It’s on my wall right now.”
As a principal and a father, Romero sympathizes with Latlip’s mother. Although Romero mentions how his passing was tough for him, he continues to fulfill his responsibilities while honoring Latlip.
“Whenever you have to deal with a student’s death, it’s sometimes more tragic because you think of all the experiences he hasn’t had. As a parent, I think about his mom. I cannot even come close to imagining what she’s going through,” Romero said.
