Age at Death: 32
Cause of Death: Overdose
Classmate City: Ottowa
Classmate State: ON
Classmate Country: Canada
Survived By: Her parents, siblings, many friends, band mates, and her beloved white cat. She is missed.

Soledad went by the moniker of, "Drea," when she attended ASH. I met her my first year there, 1996 when we were in 6th grade. The first thing you noticed about Drea was her piercing stare and beautiful smile. She was one of those kids who, in 6th grade, had already experienced the highs and lows of life. It was why we bonded--I knew she knew pain, love, and loss as I did. The second thing you noticed about Drea was her voice. Her speaking voice was rich and deep and she was constantly using it to make funny voices and sounds to cause laughter with her friends. She and I have laughed harder together than anyone I've known. More than her speaking voice, which was rich with laughter at all times, when you heard her hum or sing a line of melody, you knew you were in the presence of greatness. Her singing voice flattened people, stopped them in their tracks, and made strangers cry. She could sing like Adele before Adele. She learned guitar so she could serenade people as she walked to school, making up hilarious lyrics that were almost always mildly to highly offensive. She had friends of all ages and sang to each of them. Drea eventually moved back to Canada and started a band that had great success, "Apocalypstic." Like most of us who have seen trauma at a young age, Drea suffered from the disease of addiction and mental health issues. She had battled her disease since she was 10 years old, in 6th grade, sneaking off to the smokers hideout to keep up her friendships with the high schoolers. She used drugs to self medicate/moderate, and knew she needed help. She battled her addictions all her life but always managed to come up clean for long periods of time, each relapse occurring further and further from the last. The relapse that took her life came just after a wonderful weekend of reconnecting with friends and loved ones. There's a beautiful video taken by a friend just the day before we lost her; she's feeding the birds and talking to them and laughing. I believe her choice to use this last time came from a place of wanting to celebrate her progress and wanting to celebrate her life. Drea was a Dragon Queen, a straight-shooting, authentic presence that never let anyone get away with injustice. Drea looked out for her friends and loved ones, bolstered those who needed encouragement, and prioritized creating community through song. The world is simply less without her; it shines less brightly, sounds less melodic, feels less real. I'm grateful that technology has kept her silky, sultry, and supernatural voice alive so all can hear her magic whenever the need strikes. Rest in peace, Soledad Andrea Benjamin, you've earned it. 
 

Submitted by: Dayana Dayo Anderson

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