MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A scholarship honoring the memory of Ethan Chapin, spearheaded by his family, is now benefitting dozens of high school students.
A combined $50,000 was distributed to students in Chapin's name. He was a Mount Vernon High School alum who left his mark on the community.
"He loved unconditionally," remembered his mother, Stacy Chapin.
The funds are raised and distributed through the Ethan's Smile Foundation that Stacy started to "(honor) Ethan's love of life, people and new adventures by providing scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams."
Ethan was just 20 years old when he and three of his friends were killed in a stabbing near the University of Idaho.
"It's the worst circumstances," Stacy Chapin said. "Like, it's worse than anything you can literally dream up, right?"
Since his death, Ethan's family has worked tirelessly to ensure that his legacy lives on. He is remembered as a triplet and a lifelong athlete who loved the NFL and country music. He played on the basketball and tennis teams at Mount Vernon High School.
Ethan started at the University of Idaho in 2021 and joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. His siblings also attend the university and his brother was in the same fraternity. Ethan was majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management at the university.
Ethan's brother and sister were at the ceremony on Thursday night.
"I think they could feel it tonight," Stacy Chapin said. "They walked away from tonight and you always get kind of a temperature read on your kids and they both were like, 'Ok, that was amazing.'"