Andrew Michael Santana

Andrew Michael Santana, 31, died suddenly on August 6, 2022 after collapsing while on a run in his hometown of San Dimas. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Andrew lived in Los Angeles and worked as an attorney for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Andrew was born on July 15, 1991 to Arturo and Elizabeth (Romero) Santana. A charming and precocious child, Andrew's wide, affectionate eyes earned him the nickname "Ojitos Preciosos" from his grandmother.

Andrew soon became the proud and adoring older brother to Daniela and Paulina, with whom he shared a close, lifelong friendship - he cheered enthusiastically at their basketball games, danced at their quincea?eras, fiercely competed with them on the court, and was deeply invested in their happiness.

Andrew attended elementary and middle school at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Covina, where he quickly stood out as an academic and sports superstar. At age 8, Andrew won first place for the entire state of California in the Elks Hoop Shoot free throw contest. When he was 11, he competed in the largest Catholic academic decathlon in the nation and, as one of the youngest contestants, won a gold medal in the current events category.

Andrew went on to Loyola High School, where he played varsity basketball and graduated near the top of his class in 2009.

At Stanford University, Andrew earned his degree in American Studies, with a minor in Creative Writing, and received the Chicano Community Award for academic excellence. An exceptionally talented writer and speaker, Andrew had an impressive sports media run during his college years. He called Stanford basketball games for the student-run radio, interviewed athletes for two of LA's flagship TV and radio outlets, and authored pieces for Fox Sports Digital and Entertainment Weekly.

Andrew graduated from Harvard Law School in 2017. While there, he served on the board of the Latinx student organization and advocated at the Massachusetts state capitol for legislation to expand opportunities for underprivileged students.

Andrew had a larger-than-life personality, with a quick wit, joyful laugh, and deep, fundamental goodness that made everyone he met want to be his friend.

And Andrew was a remarkable friend.

He loved deeply and unabashedly, regularly reminding others how much he cared about them. He once wrote that the thing he liked most about himself was that he had not only cultivated beautiful friendships in the different stages of his life, but that his friends had, in turn, become great friends with one another.

Andrew made others feel important, seen, heard. His unwavering loyalty and thoughtful perspective made Andrew the person that so many in his life turned to in moments of crisis and times of celebration. He spent countless hours counseling sisters, cousins, friends, and colleagues through career moves, heartbreaks, college admission essays, and fashion choices.

Professionally, as in so many other areas of his life, Andrew was a star.

After law school, Andrew worked as a sports attorney at Proskauer Rose in New York City, where he handled some of the most complex and high-profile transactions in sports, including league expansions, financing transactions, and stadium deals for the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and MLS. Andrew also co-led the firm's Latino Lawyer Affinity Group and secured asylum for a gay immigrant from Venezuela.

In March 2020, Andrew landed his dream job - attorney for the LA 2028 Olympic Games. As managing counsel, he quickly emerged as a leader, successfully building partnerships across the fields of sports, business, and politics. He was tapped to lead negotiations with the City of Los Angeles for the terms of hosting the 2028 Games and, as a testament to his talents, secured a groundbreaking deal and obtained LA City Council approval late last year.

For all of his dazzling professional achievements and rigorous intellectual feats, Andrew was, to put it simply, so much fun. He had a legendary sense of humor, and a big, delightful laugh that he was generous in sharing.

During an internship in law school, Andrew met Amanda Johnson, who became his friend, coworker, and the love of his life. In their early days, Andrew traveled from Boston every weekend to visit Amanda in New York, crouching over his laptop on cramped buses to finish law school papers. After graduation, they rode the subway together each day from their Astoria, Queens apartment to the glittery Times Square law office where they both worked, often sneaking into an empty stairwell during long workdays to trade stories and exchange pep talks.

Together, Andrew and Amanda hitchhiked along the rugged coast of Albania, ran out of money in Cuba, took spontaneous rides on the Staten Island ferry, and never stopped talking; even after six years, they would become so enraptured in each other's words that, on more occasions than responsible, they realized how many hours had passed only when the sun began to rise.

A die-hard sports fan, Andrew religiously followed the Dodgers, Lakers, Stanford Cardinal, and UCLA Bruins (when they weren't playing Stanford). Andrew eagerly awaited the NCAA basketball tournament each year, often flying home from across the country so that he could watch with his dad. In recent years, he sobbed joyously when the Dodgers won the World Series and when the Lakers won the national championship.

He was passionate - and opinionated - in less victorious moments, too. While at Stanford, frustrated by a particularly weak showing by the men's basketball team, he emailed the Athletic Director to voice his concerns. To Andrew's shock, the Athletic Director responded and invited Andrew in for a meeting to discuss his suggestions.

Andrew packed his life full of adventure. He studied abroad in Madrid, swam on the beaches of Montenegro, explored the bustling streets of Mexico City, watched the sunset from an island in Nicaragua, and went on a cross-country road trip with friends after graduating college. Closer to home, he was an avid golfer and lifelong basketball player.

Andrew was an ambitious cook, often turning to his mom for recipes in the hopes of following in her esteemed culinary footsteps. He often grew animated about big ideas, engaging in spirited discussions into the late hours of the night on religion, politics, and the human condition.

Andrew was immensely proud of his deep Mexican roots and his large, colorful, and loving family. From a young age, he had a great love of mariachi, which he shared with his father and paternal grandmother, Marie C. Hernandez. He grew up visiting his aunts, uncles, and many cousins in Oxnard and was proud of his connection to the "805."

Andrew was the first grandchild to Concepci?n and Francisco Romero, whom he dubbed "Dodo Conchis" and "Dodo Pancho" - nicknames which they sport on their license plate and which the other 10 grandchildren all use to this day.

Above all else, Andrew was deeply committed in his role as brother and son.

When Andrew was in junior high - the peak of adolescent self-consciousness - he agreed to perform a goofy skit in front of the entire school to help Daniela in her bid for student council. In the last weeks of his life, after a long day at work, he drove several hours through traffic so that he could make Paulina dinner the night before she took the bar exam.

He brought tremendous joy, laughter, and pride to his mom and dad, who miss him terribly.

Andrew is survived by his parents, Arturo and Elizabeth Santana; sisters, Daniela and Paulina Santana; grandparents, Concepci?n and Francisco Romero; partner, Amanda Johnson; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends.

Andrew was preceded in death by his grandmother, Marie Castellanos Hernandez, and grandfather, Arturo Santana.

On Saturday, August 27, a rosary and funeral mass will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Covina, followed by a burial at 3:00 p.m. at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Andrew Santana Memorial Fund (Venmo: @AndrewMemorial), which will fund a scholarship in his honor at Loyola High School.