Cal Poly San Luis Obispo mourns student’s death, fifth in a year

March 20, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Wednesday announced the death of fourth-year student Aubrey Murray , who passed away on March 16.

Murray was majoring in electrical engineering. The university is in touch with her family and is extending its full support to them and her friends.

“She was a brilliant student, always active and engaged, and particularly enjoyed the hands-on learning opportunities at Cal Poly,” the university said in an email to students. “She had recently become a member of the Cal Poly Climbing Club”

This latest tragedy marks the fifth death of a student in less than a year.

Third-year student Christina DeChalk, who passed away on Jan. 26, was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Nico Goon, a first-year student majoring in civil engineering from Nevada, passed away on Dec. 29, 2024, after an accident while on vacation.

James Soulie Washburn passed away during the 2024/2025 school year. At just 23, he fluently spoke three languages, played seven instruments, and was both an artist and a skilled craftsman, creating wooden furniture and handmade couture clothing

Kenneth Taylor, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering from Richland, Washington, died April 6 after an accident during a trip to Big Sur.