Aydin Salek was a South Pasadena High School student with a passion for life, learning, and community service. He died on December 13, 2009 after attending a party in Altadena. While the coroner's report is being withheld as detectives continue to investigate his death, sources confirm Aydin passed away after consuming too much alcohol over a small span of time.
Aydin's parents, Hamid Salek and Azita Rezvan, do not blame anyone for their son's death, but ask that out of it comes a community effort to prevent this from happening to others.
"I think the problem was that at that time," Azita said, "everyone at the party made a mistake." Since other people saw him, others could have helped him, but no one called 9-1-1 until it was too late.
"Those friends who didn't help him," Azita said, "I know they have a fear to get in touch with police. And their family and their parents. If they hadn't this feeling, they may call easily. I mean, it was an accident. No one has blamed them and could blame them for calling the police."
Aydin's father Hamid says young people are not trained to deal with these kinds of critical situations. "It's our fault," said Hamid. "It's our fault because we don't teach to our kids to face to critical situations, and they must learn about it. They must learn how to face these situations. When they see their friends in danger, how to help them, and when they must call police, they must call 9-1-1, and they must believe police are their friend, not their enemy."
Azita says since Aydin's death, there have been messages on social network sites like Facebook, where students claimed they saw Aydin at the party, and wish they had called for an ambulance.
Azita and Hamid say that the community has accepted these kinds of parties, where alcohol is served to teenagers and parents are not home to supervise, and that as long as the community accepts them, the danger exists.
Sources say the party that Aydin attended was held by an 18-year-old girl whose parents were out for the evening. The party was advertised on Facebook and alcohol was provided. Students paid promoters to get into the house party.
Aydin had been a student in the South Pasadena Unified School District for just two and a half years, but served as the student member of the South Pasadena Unified School District board, representing 4,000 students. He was active in charities and politics, worked on President Obama's campaign, and was always there when his friends needed him.
"We always were so proud of him," said Azita. "He was so young. I don't know how many years someone needs to have some impact on other people, his community, family members and his friends. But he made it."
Aydin's parents say the only way to help them deal with their pain is to continue what Aydin started. With the help of the Pasadena Community Foundation, they have established a scholarship in Aydin's name to help students continue their education.
"This way I think not only us," said Azita, "but those friends and those people who have been touched with his life, can follow his way."
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