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On March 12, 2018, 17-year-old high school senior Draylen Mason was killed by a package bomb in a wave of attacks that killed one other person and injured another five in Austin, Texas. Mason’s mother Shamika Wilson was also injured in the attack.
Mason was an accomplished musician who had been accepted to the University of Texas Butler School of Music, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. He was a multi-instrumentalist, but specialized in double bass, which he played in the Austin Youth Orchestra and for the orchestra of Austin Soundwaves, an organization that “makes music learning accessible and equitable for all Central Texans.”
Mason was a third-degree black belt in Karate, which he began studying at age 5. He earned his black belt at 10 and started teaching lessons at his Karate school at 14. He attended East Austin College Prep and wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
The Commuter donated to the Draylen Mason Fellows Program, a scholarship initiative for high school musicians, organized by Austin Soundwaves to honor Mason’s legacy. To learn more about the program visit https://www.austinsoundwaves.org/draylen
Story and art by Commuter staff, thecommuter@nullnorthampton.edu.
