Rebecca E. Basaldua

On Monday March 6, 2023, Rebecca Elizabeth Basaldua passed away unexpectedly. She was 29 years of age.

Rebecca was born in Weslaco, Texas in 1993 to Nancy and Tom Basaldua. She attended Memorial High School and completed their International Baccalaureate program while serving as the school newspaper editor-in-chief and a member of the constitution team that went to the national championships in Washington D.C. Rebecca went on to graduate cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and received the Suzanne Huffman Senior Thesis honorable mention. She started her career working in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. After four years of working in finance, Rebecca decided to make it her life’s work to help those who had suffered from sexual assault. She accepted a research role at the department of Veterans Affairs in Boston and then further bolstered her research experience by working at the Broad Institute at Harvard. In the fall of 2022, Rebecca matriculated at Arizona State University pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a research focus on veterans who had experienced sexual assault.

Rebecca, or “Becca” as she was called by friends and family, was an adventurer who loved hiking, tango, and a good debate. She was passionate about politics and creating a world in which one’s sex and/or race did not dictate the opportunities for which one would be presented. Becca did not just talk about change, she went out on the streets and marched for change holding up her signs proudly. Every Saturday before the mid-term elections, she was out canvassing and talking to undecided voters about the candidates she believed could enact positive change. Becca also loved to learn. She read for hours every night and frequented museums. What Becca will most be remembered for is her kindness. If a friend or family member was ever in need, Becca would help without hesitation be it taking care of a friend’s dog or helping one of her sisters with wedding planning. Becca had much love to give and those who were lucky enough to know her are truly blessed.

Rebecca is survived by her loving parents, Tomas and Nancy Basaldua; siblings, Debra, Rachel, and Daniel Basaldua; brothers-in-law, Howard Julien and Tyler Sampson; grandparents, Carter and Maureen Warfield and Barbara Kelly; niece, Ava Sampson; and nephew, Austin Sampson.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, P.A. (12540 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029) on Saturday March 18, 2023 from 1:00-3:00 P.M. with a Celebration of Life Service to follow at 3:00 P.M. If you can not attend in person and would like to watch the live-streaming of the Service at 3:00 PM EST please click HERE .

If you would like to honor Becca’s memory with a donation, the family requests a donation be made to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center with a notification sent to Debra Basaldua at Debrar.basaldua@gmail.com. Boston is where Becca did most of her research for this cause.