School of General Studies student has died School of General Studies student has died Courtesy Of / Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home & Cremation Center Matthew Avila, who was a first-year in the School of General Studies, passed away last month. By Dia Gill | April 1, 2021, 9:29 PM Content warning: This article discusses the death of a student. Matthew Avila, who was a first-year in the School of General Studies, passed away last month, Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch wrote in an email to the General Studies community Thursday. Before enrolling in General Studies, Avila graduated with honors with a degree in human development from Cornell University. Between graduating from Cornell in 2018 and beginning the Postbac Premed Program at the school of General Studies last fall, Avila was a research associate at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health as well as a clinical research coordinator at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Avila, who Rosen-Metsch described as a “determined and driven student,” was also the founder of Mana, a digital health company that utilized data science and innovative technology to create accessible, community-based resources for mental health care.