ASU graduate Gabe Zimmerman was one of the six people killed in the Jan. 8 Tucson shooting, but his legacy will live on through scholarship funds.
Zimmerman, who graduated with a master’s degree in social work from ASU’s School of Public Programs in 2006, was known among friends and family for his dedication to public service.
ASU and the University of California, Santa Cruz, both schools Zimmerman attended, plan to assist future students in the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
Donations can be made in honor of Zimmerman to ASU’s School of Public Programs “Spirit of Service Scholars” scholarship program, said Dana Berchman, the school’s media communications manager.
The program is in its first year, and applications for the second year of the scholarship will open to students Feb. 1, Berchman said.
The mission of the program is to reward outstanding students with scholarships and provide them with the resources necessary to become the next generation of outstanding social workers, according to the University website.
“Gabe is passing on the baton,” said Josefina Ahumada, Zimmerman’s former professor and field education coordinator at the School of Public Programs. “The world needs a lot of transformations. We need to make sure you all have the resources to be a part of that transformation. The work that Gabe is now not able to continue.”
UC Santa Cruz, where Zimmerman received his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2002, is also eager to assist promising students in carrying on Zimmerman’s passion for social work, said Joop Rubens, associate director of development in the Division of Social Sciences at the school.
Zimmerman was a fellow with the Global Information Internship Program at UC Santa Cruz, a program for students committed to social justice, he said.
Rubens and two UC Santa Cruz alumni inspired by Zimmerman set up the Gabriel Zimmerman Scholarship Fund Jan. 12 after hearing about the death of the social worker and UC Santa Cruz alumnus.
The fund will support undergraduate students who are passionate about social issues and committed to public service in the Division of Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Rubens said.
The fund has raised nearly $25,000, half the amount needed to guarantee the scholarship is endowed, which will be critical in ensuring the scholarship continues forever, Rubens said.
Both the ASU and UC Santa Cruz scholarships were established as a way for future generations to remember Zimmerman and his example in social service.
At the Jan. 12 memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shooting, Ross Zimmerman, Gabe Zimmerman’s father, told President Barack Obama he hopes his son will be remembered for many generations.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, I don’t want memorials or statues,’” Ross Zimmerman said. “‘All I ask is for ways to remember Gabe.’”
Information on how to donate in Zimmerman’s honor can be found on ASU’s School of Public Programs website and the UC Santa Cruz website.
“I want help remembering Gabriel,” Ross Zimmerman said.
Reach the reporter at ktenagli@asu.edu
