Harvard Student Sergio Diaz ’23 Dies While Home in Florida

Mather House senior Sergio A. Diaz ’23 died at his home on Tuesday, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana announced to students on Wednesday.

“I struggle to find adequate words to express the profound tragedy of losing Sergio,” Khurana wrote in the emailed announcement. “Perhaps the best thing we can do right now is come together as a community to share our grief and comfort each other.”

The College did not disclose a cause of death.

Diaz is the third Harvard undergraduate who has died this semester.

Diaz, a Neuroscience concentrator with a secondary in Economics, grew up in Miami, Florida. Outside of the classroom, he was a musician and enjoyed representing Mather in intramural sports, Faculty Deans Amala Mahadevan and L. “Maha” Mahadevan and Resident Dean Luke Leafgren wrote in an email to residents.

“Sergio was a talented pianist who shared his love for music with friends at Mather,” they wrote. “He made new friends at IM soccer and volleyball matches and contributed some of the loudest cheers when a teammate scored a goal.”

Khurana and the Mather deans described Diaz’s broad academic interests in their emails.

“His love of learning kindled in high school spilled over to his college years as he explored a range of courses including linguistics, math, and chemistry,” the Mather deans wrote.

The Mather deans will host a gathering for students to mourn Diaz 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mather’s Multicultural Room, the deans announced in their emails.

“We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of a brilliant scholar and a kind friend to many,” the Mather deans wrote. “In difficult times like this, coming together as a community helps us grieve by being there for others and sharing memories.”

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If you or someone you know needs help at Harvard, contact Counseling and Mental Health Services at (617) 495-2042 or the Harvard University Police Department at (617) 495-1212. Several peer counseling groups offer confidential peer conversations. Learn more here.

You can contact a University Chaplain to speak one-on-one at chaplains@harvard.edu or here.

You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

—Staff writer Vivi E. Lu can be reached at vivi.lu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @vivielu_.

—Staff writer Leah J. Teichholtz can be reached at leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @LeahTeichholtz.