UC Merced stabbing survivor honored on Capitol Hill with ‘unsung hero’ award

A UC Merced employee who was wounded in the 2015 stabbing attack at the campus was honored this week in Washington by Rep. Jim Costa and the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus.

Danielle Quiroga, 28, was presented the Eva Murillo Unsung Hero Award. She was one of four people who sustained stab wounds in the attack by UC Merced freshman Faisal Mohammad on Nov. 4, 2015. The computer science student from Santa Clara was shot and killed by a university police officer on the Scholars Lane bridge.

“Even after experiencing a devastating trauma, Danielle has kept her spirits high,” Costa said in a statement. “Danielle’s positive outlook on life has helped her, her family and witnesses of the horrific incident cope with the tragedy. Danielle is an inspiration to all of us, and it was truly an honor for her to be in Washington, D.C. to accept the award.”

Quiroga, an adviser on the campus, said she looks forward to being involved in more victims’ advocacy events.

“This award is such a honor for me and for my family,” she said. “I was blessed to have such a supportive group of warriors behind me and I would love to share this award with them.”

The Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus was founded in 2005 by the co-chairs, Reps. Jim Costa and Ted Poe. The mission of the caucus is to elevate crime victim issues in Congress in a bipartisan manner without infringing on the rights of the accused, and to represent and advocate before the administration and within Congress on behalf of crime victims.

Since 2006, the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus has honored outstanding individuals, agencies and collaborative initiatives whose efforts directly benefit victims and survivors of crime, and promote individual and public safety. The caucus hosts an annual awards ceremony on Capitol Hill around the annual commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 2-8 this year.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "UC Merced stabbing survivor honored on Capitol Hill with ‘unsung hero’ award."