Randy Michael Kitis

On October 28th, 2022, Randy Michael Kitis passed from a fatal motorcycle accident (of which he was cleared of fault). He was on his way to class, and a few blocks short from arriving at USC.

He attended a couple of community colleges within the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and graduated from Los Angeles Trade Tech College as a Computer Information Specialist Major.

Randy had overcome many challenges in life, and he did it with vigor and tenacity. Always with open arms and ready to help, for the last three years Randy worked in Academic Connections at LA Trade Tech alongside Ms. Valerie Cole. Randy tutored English and worked up to the day before he passed away. He was also a member of the Guardian Scholars Program with LA Trade Tech under Dr. Dione Washington. "Randy's contributions were innumerable, and he will be greatly missed," said Dr. Washington.

This past summer, Randy, the first in his family to go to college, got into every university to which he applied. He was accepted to UCSD, UCLA, UCR, UCSC, UCI, CSULA, CSULB, CSUN, CSUF, CSULA, Cal Poly Pomona and USC. Ultimately, he chose USC, where he began in the Fall of 2022. Had he gone to UCLA, he intended on entering as a Pre-Data Theory Major. He was interested in adding a minor such as Social Data Science, Philosophy, or Cognitive Science. After acceptance at USC, he intended to explore their Data Science minor, which is a common pairing with engineering majors and Computer Science specifically.

When highlighted in the Center for Community College Partnership newsletter, Randy was asked:

What advice would you give to current community college students?

"If I had to give one piece of advice to a current community college scholar, it would definitely be: Do NOT ever give up. This is one of those times when the only way OUT is THROUGH."

What's a fun or interesting fact about yourself?

"I love to ski, hike, bike, run, swim, camp, and take motorcycle road trips. I've never been out of the country. I am most looking forward to getting a pet after I graduate from University."

Up to the time of his passing, Randy was surrounded by his family, his mother, Faye Kitis and aunt Joy McDonald Stage, and his friends, Leslie, Bruno, Jose, Adam, Joshua, Pablo and Ramon. Randy was preceded in death by his father, Richard Keith Kitis. He leaves behind his mother Faye Kitis, his uncle, Vernon Kitis, his grandmother Darlene Fields and sister Samantha Miller, her son Lucas and his kitty Agape (already adopted by a friend of Randy's). He also leaves behind a family of friends that loved him and will always be very proud of him and will miss him deeply.

Randy had plans to go home for the holidays to Uniontown, PA, to see his family, and they, especially his mother Faye Kitis, were looking forward to being with him again. Although he may not be there in body, he will always be there in spirit, as his family misses him very much.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Randy's GoFundMe at the following link:

gofundme.com/f/randy-michael-kitis