On August 24, 2020, Isabella Kress was taking pictures of the beach and ocean while listening to music when her life tragically ended as she was struck by a Union Pacific freight train near Emma Wood State Beach.
Isabella Kress was a 22 year old multi-talented young woman who left an indelible mark on the world.
Kress grew up in Ventura with her father Donald and mother Ana Baker along with her four siblings Diego, Devin, Jack and Scarlett.
Kress attended Ventura High school where she was coached by 4x U.S. Olympic champion, Ramona Pagel.
In 2016, she graduated from Ventura High School and decided to attend Cerritos College where she met her coaches Michael Allen and Lloyd Higgins.
“Meeting Izzy and her parents was my most memorable moment of her,” Allen and Higgins said.
Allen and Higgins both went on to express how much it meant to them for Kress to continue her athletic career at Cerritos.
As an athlete and as a person, she strived to be the best she can be on and off the field according to Allen and Higgins.
“She was the hardest working person I’ve ever coached in my years of coaching,” Allen said.
Kress achieved greatness by being on the 2017 championship track and field team while placing top ten in both discus and shot put.
Her leadership and positive mindset was brought everyday to practice and on meet days.
“Everyday she brought the lightness to practice and her teammates,” Higgins said.
Kress did this by bringing pastries she made in her culinary classes to give to her coaches and teammates along with motivating her teammates and pushing them to be the best they can be.
Her champion mentality made her an example of what a true captain and leader should be like according to her coaches.
“She was one of the captains if not the captain of her team,” Allen said.
After graduating from Cerritos College with her AA in Culinary Arts in the spring of 2018, she transferred to California State University of Long Beach where she was working on a degree in English and creative writing along with working to earn her teaching credentials.
“Izzy was working towards earning her teaching credentials while already teaching an R.O.P. program at Downey High school,” Higgins said.
Kress was a published author of two books of poetry with Moonlight Reflections and C’est La vie.
At Cerritos, she won Cerritos College’s 15th Annual “Falcons Out Loud” poetry competition in 2018.
Her first book, Moonlight Reflections, speaks about balance between being engulfed in darkness and embracing light.
While C’est La vie is centered on the theme that “life is predictable and how we navigate through the countless moments that bring joy”.
Kress also enjoyed singing and was a part of a team that participated in floral design competitions.
Both Allen and Higgins shared what Kress’s main goal and dream was after she was done with college.
“Her dream was to actually open up her own restaurant since she loved cooking and making pastries so much.”
A GoFundMe page was established to raise money to fund a memorial bronze plaque that will be placed on a remembrance bench on the Ventura Beach pier.
The life of Isabella “Izzy” Kress will always be remembered and never forgotten in the hearts of her family, friends, and the Cerritos College Falcon family.
