Three Miami Dade College Students Posthumously Honored During Graduation

Daniela Marchan Hidalgo’s family somberly walked to the stage at loanDepot Park on April 23 to receive their daughter’s posthumous associate’s degree in culinary arts management. 

“After we received her diploma and walked down the stage we broke down in tears,” said Juan Carlos Cevallos, Hidalgo’s father. “We felt proud of our daughter and surrounded by love, but at the same time we could not believe she was not there to enjoy that moment.”

Hidalgo was one of three students posthumously honored during Miami Dade College’s commencement ceremonies on April 23. Here are their stories: 

Daniela Marchan Hidalgo

Daniela Marchan Hidalgo was a 23-year-old culinary arts student at the Miami Culinary Institute. She passed away on November 12 from an aneurysm due to an aortic rupture.

A butterfly garden was created in her memory on April 12 at the MCI garden, 500 N.E. 2nd Ave., behind building 7. It features various flowers including lavenders and a star fruit tree because “she was a star like a star fruit,” Cevallos said.

Inspired by her mom and grandmother’s family restaurant in Ecuador that focused on seafood dishes but also prepared pastries, Hidalgo knew she wanted to be a pastry chef since she was a kid. 

Following her lifelong dream, she enrolled at MDC in 2019. While studying, she made pastries at Dragonfly Izakaya & Fish Market, a contemporary Japanese pub.

Hidalgo also created an Instagram account to display the pastries she made—@_Danielasbakery.

“She always told us about her wonderful chef teachers and classmates. She was truly happy there,” Cevallos said. “It was such a special part of her life and passion that we decided to place her MCI name tag along with her urn.”

Besides cooking, her other hobbies were calligraphy, photography and creating bracelets out of beads. She also loved to play with and care for her Australian Shepherd dog named Blue. 

Hidalgo dedicated her life to spreading kindness by baking pastries for those who she loved. Despite suffering from Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue, family and friends described her as a sweet and vibrant soul whose smile and zest brightened up everyone’s day. 

“She was very sensitive. She would cry when knowing of any tragedy, but she [would] also cry of joy when told that any relative was expecting a child,” Cevallos said. “She taught us to really live, to enjoy life at its fullest.”

Mahmood Habbaba

Mahmood Habbaba was a mechanical engineering student at Kendall Campus. He passed away after a motorcycle accident on March 29. 

Although Habbaba’s family did not attend the graduation, they watched the live-stream of the posthumous commemoration and heard the eulogy Kendall Campus president Anthony Cruz delivered. 

“Mahmood was known for his warm inclusivity, kindness and straightforward honesty that touched the hearts of everyone he met,” Cruz said. “On behalf of the family, we ask you to hold your loved ones close and remind them you love them.”

Habbaba began to pursue an associate’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2018 to quench his understanding of how things like cars and appliances worked. After taking a short break from his studies to work in his family’s business, Mahmood promised his parents he would return this year to graduate. 

“He fulfilled his promise,” said Aisha Shanan, Habbaba’s aunt.

The 22-year-old devoted Muslim attended Masjid Al-Ihsaan, a mosque in West Perrine. He was a volunteer during iftar ceremonies—one of the religious observances of Ramadan—and participated in youth group meetings.

Habbabba also worked with Project Downtown to feed homeless people in Downtown Miami. 

“He represented his religion based on his character,” Shanan said. “He always wanted to be that person who was remembered as someone who wanted to change the world.”

In his spare time. Habbaba loved to fish, camp, play basketball, volleyball and football. His favorite place to fish was Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys and one of his favorite camping sites was the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park in Southwest Miami-Dade. 

Following Habbaba’s passing, a fundraising page was set up. It collected $60,000 before closing on May 3. The money will be used to build water wells and a mosque in Mali, a country in West Africa. 

John Christopher E. Pangilinan

John Christopher E. Pangilinan, 23, was a health services administration student at Homestead Campus. 

During graduation, Pangilinan’s mom, Phoebe Enriquez, was visibly emotional as she raised her son’s posthumous associate’s degree with her family and MDC President Madeline Pumariega by her side. She then bowed to the crowd, who responded with a thunderous applause.

The family could not be reached for this story.