On Monday, Feb. 17, SEU missing student Eleno Valle
was found dead. Since then, a number of people have reached out to Hilltop Views with their stories about
Valle. We decided to share them, unedited.
“Eleno was, and still is, an amazing guy. His wallet had bacon strips print, for God’s sake. I mean, it was the most awesome wallet ever. Eleno was quiet but he always had a strong opinion about anything you could imagine. I’ve always loved how concerned he was with social injustices and issues. If he saw someone being offensive to a gender or social group, he would speak up. Always. He never approved of how media treats and portrays women. He couldn’t understand how there could be so much disrespect out there in the world. Eleno and I always agreed on issues like religion, equal rights and environmental problems. And he was always helping me become more educated on those matters so that I could too educate others and then maybe we could start making a difference. Anytime I told him I needed help with something, he would be over in less than 5 minutes to help me.
I remember the first time I met Eleno: Melinda Szabo and Qianming Wang were his friends and they were visiting him at his home. They brought me along, and we clicked right a way, sharing thoughts on politics and jokingly saying “Thanks, Obama!” to everything and everyone. His birthday had been a few days before and the girls wanted to surprise him with an Ice Cream Cake to sing Happy Birthday. Trying to hide a melting cake and then trying to light the candles with so much wind blowing made the surprise a fiasco. But I think that was why that was an awesome night.
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, one day before he went missing, Eleno, Melinda Szabo and I had dinner together. Eleno had his favorite: ice cream for dinner. (Every time he would get ice cream – which was not rare at all – he would get Cookies’n’Cream, but he would always say that Blue Bell’s Red Velvet Cake ice cream flavor is the best. While we ate, we watched funny YouTube videos and we had fun. I walked over to Dujarie/BMH buildings with him and we said goodbye, parting ways – he lived in the Casas and I live in the Dujarie Casitas. I’m so glad we had dinner that day. I got to say goodbye.
— Natalie Almeida
“I would like to say that Eleno was a very sweet, caring, and intelligent individual. It is true that he was quiet, but his smile was kind and his eyes were welcoming.
I met Eleno three years ago at the beginning of our freshman year. Initially, he seemed nonchalant about befriending the rest of his fellow CAMPers but I kindly forced myself into his company during the first couple of days of our Enrichment week and he slowly began to open up. Eleno taught me how to play Egyptian Ratscrew and we would often meet up to challenge one another. I was never victorious but I always enjoyed his company.
Eleno was truly a great person and friend and he will be greatly missed.
— Alejandra Lozano
“I first met Eleno as a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Facilitator for his incoming CAMP Freshmen class. Eleno first came in with a somewhat lost look, a look I recognized in myself the first day I came into orientation with a box of clothes and not enough resources or motivation to make it through the first week and thought that feeling would last through the whole first semester. It certainly is difficult leaving your family and friends to pursue your college career so I made it a goal to reach out to the more reserved students to help them integrate and ease their transition to the college life. I wanted to eliminate those kinds of doubts in the freshmen as a facilitator because that is what was done for me by the facilitating staff in my year. St. Edward’s University and the CAMP program really try and succeed at creating a support system as strong as the family you leave at home, which is why this tragic event causes anguish to those who played a part in welcoming Eleno to St. Edward’s University. I remember at the beginning of the CAMP Enrichment week Eleno walked with a hanging head and slouching posture, quiet and observant. He was reluctant to fully let himself participate at first, but that only motivated me more to push towards getting him to open up and let loose. When I finally got Eleno to laugh there was no hiding the open-mouthed chuckle and grin after, as if he remembered a good joke. Then came our trip to John Newcombe Ranch in New Braunfels where the CAMP students would have a opportunity to bond in team building activities and have a chance to conquer small fears and goals through the high ropes. Eleno’s mannerisms suggested he was not going to have any part of it but I challenged him that if I could go up there with an unstable knee one month and a half out of surgery, then he would have to go up and get on the high ropes after me. He did not accept my challenge, no surprise there. I would come back to him from time to time and let him know not to let me down because I held my part of the challenge and he need to fulfill his, which I accepted for him without his say. After that I told him that he did not have to get on the ropes but that he should muster some confidence and courage to at least try it out to shut me up. On my way back from getting some water I noticed a small crowd cheering for someone walking the tight rope, and sure enough it was Eleno. It felt like a small victory to see Eleno up there just knowing that the small support I could add to all that was given to him by CAMP and his peers could push him to try something he was not comfortable with and show him that he could overcome it. Little by little Eleno broke out of his shell but still remained reserved and observant for the most part, until we had the Candle Lighting Ceremony at the chapel. Eleno was among the first if not the first to want to pick someone’s candle to light. As he reached for the lighter he walked towards me, lit my candle and thanked me for motivating him to try new things, meet new people and laugh with strangers, who by then had become his CAMP family. Eleno could not hold back the trembling voice and the single tear out of the corner of his eye. I was both moved and impressed, with Eleno’s demeanor at the start of the week I would not have thought he would have had the courage to share and have others see him in an emotional state. But I was glad he picked me and that he made such a breakthrough. I would much rather reminisce about my memories of Eleno with news about him receiving his Bachelor’s degree, reaching another milestone in life, or meeting success after reaching the full potential I knew he had. Instead I am here wondering and wishing that Eleno would have reached out to the vast support system at his disposal, in both his family and the family he has in CAMP, to have shared his thoughts and feelings of hardship and wanting to overcome those hardships as he did in the Candle Lighting Ceremony. With a heavy heart I offer my condolences to the Vallé family con mi más sentido pesáme. Que en páz decanses Eleno Efrén Vallé.”
— Lucio Manzano
“He always hated pictures and I always loved trying to sneak one. I got a really good shot on our way to the ballet. I think I posted it against his permission. He was only a little mad.
We met freshmen year and were best buds. I took him to eat his first Whataburger, even though he lived his whole life in Texas. He stayed up half a night to help me memorize lines for a play where I didn’t get to play the role. We watched some stupid movies and after I picked one about Cannibal parents he told me I couldn’t pick movies from Netflix again. We tried to make homemade soda once without measuring spoons and all the ingredients and made some gross yeasty drink. He enjoyed playing racquetball and taught me to play, sometimes scaring me with how hard he would play. He didn’t like hugging much but would sometimes allow me to hug him, just for a second. We went to watch the trans-Siberian orchestra and even though I complained quite a bit it was still an amazing experience to share with him. We had dreams about what we’d do after college, his less clear but he knew he wanted to change the world. He hated needles but whenever he was emailed by the Blood Center to donate blood, only twice, he’d ask me to take him so he can give because he was O+, the universal giver. That’s what he did, he gave to those who knew him. He had a kind soul and I will miss him and his laugh. Especially when he would just eat ice cream for dinner. His favorite was Cookies and Cream.”
— Melinda Szabo
