Incoming freshman Jonathan Sisto died Aug. 11 in a skateboarding accident, only three weeks before he was set to begin his first semester as a GW student.

Sisto, a native of Orinda, Calif., died from head injuries after he fell off the skateboard he was riding while holding on to a moving car, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Orindo police officials said the 17 year-old wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of his fall.

Sisto was an active member of his hometown community, as an Eagle Scout and high school athlete. He dreamed of running for public office one day, and listed himself as a political science major on the Facebook Web site. Sisto would have lived in Thurston Hall’s third floor.

“Any death is unfortunate, especially for an incoming student who has so much to look forward to,” said Tracy Schario, the University’s director of media relations.

Friends of Sisto expressed condolences and left final wishes on the “wall,” or messageboard, of his Facebook profile. Many noted the great impact Sisto made in his brief lifetime.

“You have no idea how many lives you touched, and how vacant the void is in our lives right now,” one friend wrote.

“I’m going to miss you so much man you’ll never even know,” wrote another friend in his online goodbye. “Take Care.”

-Marissa Levy