Lamorinda community honors life of student-athlete Amin Noroozi after tragic accident

LAFAYETTE — The Lamorinda community came together Friday night in a poignant vigil to honor the life of Amin Noroozi, a beloved student-athlete at Acalanes High School who died several days after a swimming accident.Family, friends, and supporters gathered at the Acalanes High School football stadium in Lafayette to remember the 17-year-old junior, a three-sport athlete known for his talent, kindness, and magnetic spirit.Even before the candlelight vigil, Friday marked a somber day on campus. For many Acalanes students, it was one of mourning rather than learning. Friends of Noroozi struggled to stay focused in class, and some chose not to attend school at all."Everybody is just devastated. We're going to try to move on. But it's going to be hard. I don't think anybody will be able to," said Riley Gates, a close friend of Noroozi.Outside the school cafeteria, a large banner taped to the wall became a space for students to share messages of love and support. One read simply, "#51 Fly High.""It hasn't sunken in at all," Gates added. "I'm still waiting for him to just come back and hang out with us at lunch. That's the hardest part."The tragic incident unfolded Sunday at Stinson Beach, where friends say Noroozi dove into the water, struck his head, and suffered a devastating spinal injury. He told friends he couldn't feel his legs.By Thursday morning, he had developed a severe fever, and he passed away later that afternoon."The fever just kept increasing and just took over his body and made his body weak, made his organs weak. They tried their best to keep him alive. Sadly, he couldn't stay with us," said Jane Smith, a family friend.Smith launched an online fundraiser to help cover medical expenses. By Friday, it had raised more than $160,000 — funds that will now go toward funeral costs.The grief rippled across the community, hitting especially hard among Noroozi's closest friends."It was horrifying," said Stella Pacheco, another close friend. "I got [to the hospital] and I didn't know what was going on. My friend told me and I just started screaming. And we all just kind of sat in this big lobby room, holding each other, just sobbing."Students are now rallying around Noroozi's family — especially his younger sister, Sahar, a sophomore at Acalanes."She's 15 and she has a big, beautiful life ahead of her. Lucky for her, now she has about 500 big brothers to look out for her," said Smith. "I think about Sahar, I know she has loving parents."Pacheco recalled Noroozi's bright spirit and deep compassion."He was extraordinary. He was an athlete.  He played three sports at Acalanes. He was an amazing friend. He was a loving person. He was a great student. His teachers all loved him," she said.Gates described Noroozi as both a fierce competitor and a gentle soul."It's just really hard to take this all in right now with Amin being such a big part of our community and just a good person, a great guy.  He's just one of a kind," Gates said.Before the accident, Noroozi had been planning to attend junior prom with his girlfriend this weekend.Now, instead of celebrating that milestone, the community is celebrating his life.