EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – A memorial fund has been made in honor of a former UW Eau Claire student who drowned in the Chippewa River earlier this month. Justin Vue graduated from UWEC in 2019 with a degree in Information Systems, Business Analysis. His father was the first Hmong person to graduate from UW Eau Claire and was associate director the of office of multicultural affairs when he retired in 2022.

The UW Eau Claire Foundation created the fund, which will provide scholarships through the school’s multicultural student services office. Interim President of the UW Eau Claire Foundation, Julia Diggins said, “Justin was a really active student when he was here on campus and has continued to be part of our campus community. His family really wanted to honor him and his legacy in this way, and we wanted to make sure that we were celebrating what he brought to campus as a student and honoring his memory in a really special way.” His family says Justin had a passion and love for community building, and this scholarship will help further his unfinished work.

More information about the fund can be found on UW Eau Claire’s website.