Christian Aguilar spent less than two semesters at UF, but he left an impact on Gainesville forever.
Students first heard of the 18-year-old freshman when he was reported missing Sept. 20. His parents drove up from Miami that weekend, launching a nearly monthlong search with hundreds of volunteers — first looking for Christian injured but alive and then hoping to recover his body.
About 14,000 Facebook users joined a group to coordinate volunteer efforts; an Indiegogo campaign raised more than $12,000; and national media outlets picked up the story, working to get Christian’s name out to the public.
To CNN, he was Christian Aguilar, the missing college student in Florida. To UF students, he was a name and face on missing posters all over campus.
But to his best friend, he was just Chris.
A simple case of assigned seating in a physical education class brought Christian Aguilar and Sebastian Arias together for the first time in 2005.
Seven years later, upon graduating from high school, the two took different paths. Christian went to UF for biomedical engineering while Arias stayed in Miami to study pre-medicine at Miami Dade College.
Despite the distance, Christian and Arias’ friendship remained intact. Arias made plans over the summer to visit his best friend for Gator Growl.
“I always kept a connection with Christian,” Arias said. “Nothing much had changed.”
Their plans were interrupted when Christian went missing.
Arias came to him anyway. He joined the search party the weekend after Christian went missing. On Friday, he was headed into work in Miami when he heard the news: Hunters had found a body 40 miles southwest of Gainesville, and police believed it was Christian.
“My time with him was cut off way too quickly,” he said. “I feel like I have Christian’s presence around me, but I have to tell myself that my friend just died, and I can’t process that.”
A fan of the Barcelona Football Club, Iron Man and eating out with friends, Christian was “the friend you had to have,” Arias said.
“Being Christian’s friend was such a valuable thing for me,” he said. “Every time I hung out with Chris, it was like winning the lottery.”
Christian liked rap and often listened to Kanye West, Kid Cudi and the Notorious B.I.G. He carried a 160-GB iPod everywhere he went.
“He was an extremely smart kid,” said his brother, 16-year-old Alexander Aguilar. “He knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it.”
The siblings shared a close relationship while growing up. They played soccer, watched television and studied together. Christian especially loved the show “Scrubs.”
Alexander Aguilar said he watched his brother mature before going off to college. With a knack for math and an interest in the arts, Christian excelled in his academics, graduating summa cum laude from Doral Academy Preparatory School.
“He wouldn’t have to have my parents push him,” Alexander Aguilar said. “He would push himself.”
Since Christian was in middle school, he had wanted to attend UF.
“Christian liked the environment, and he was determined to go,” Arias said.
Arias remembered the phone call he received when Christian got into UF.
“He told me, ‘My life has just changed, I got accepted into UF,’” Arias said. “It made me happy that my friend did. I was supportive 100 percent of the way.”
Christian planned to become a cardiologist. He wanted to change people’s lives by performing heart surgery.
“It’s delicate work, but Christian said he could do it,” Arias said.
The Aguilar family’s dream of their son going to college and starting a new life came to an abrupt end in September.
On Monday, the family was notified that police positively identified the body found in Levy County as Christian’s.
Later that night, about 150 people packed the St. Augustine Church to attend a memorial service.
Carlos and Claudia Aguilar, Christian’s parents, sat in the front row as priests led the church in prayer and gospel readings.
UF President Bernie Machen expressed his condolences to the Aguilars, saying he and the university were devastated about Christian’s death.
“When we lose a student like Christian, it is a loss not only for those who knew him but for our whole community, and also for his family’s communities in Miami and in Colombia,” he said. “Christian was missing for a time, but he can never be lost again — he is in our hearts, and in our souls … that we will remember forever.”
Dave Kratzer, vice president of Student Affairs, praised police and the Gainesville community for assisting the Aguilar family in the search.
“Sometimes we see the very best in people during times of crisis,” Kratzer said. “There’s an amazing strength in ordinary people that manifests itself when it matters the most.”
Carlos and Claudia Aguilar were the last to speak. They stood at the lectern, wearing Gators T-shirts.
Carlos Aguilar thanked volunteers and police officers for their support.
“All those people deserve to be known because they are doing something that would be, in this community, a landmark,” he said.
Even though Christian will no longer walk UF’s campus, his name and story have touched lives, including that of Scarlett Diaz. Diaz, 18, made a tribute video to her lost friend, saying the day Christian went missing would stay with her for the rest of her life.
With Christian resting in peace, Diaz says in the video, she is reminded of his presence.
“He is in the sea, in the rain, in the river … becoming one with nature, becoming one with God.”
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
Carlos and Claudia Aguilar speak at St. Augustine Church on Monday night at a memorial for their son, Christian Aguilar, whose remains were discovered Friday.
