Matt Rupel ’13 was an active member of the student body during his time at SCU and served as editor of The Santa Clara newspaper from 2011 to 2013. He traveled extensively, visiting family in New York and Texas, soaking up sun in Hawaii, and touring abroad. He loved music and films. He geeked-out over Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter,and Game of Thrones. An avid reader and writer, Matt recently cowrote a script for an animation project and was in the middle of writing his first novel. Growing up, he was always the kid who was friends with everyone, and everyone wanted to be his friend. Friends loved him for his deadpan humor, intelligence, adventurous spirit, and caring heart. As his body deteriorated, Matt showed resilience, bravery, and grace. He died on Aug. 5, 2017, after complications from Friedreich’s ataxia disease, living his short life with amazing courage and persistence. His parents, Brenda Rupel ’88 and Bart Rupel ’85, sister Katie, and all those who knew and loved him mourn their loss.