A Life Lived Fully
Born in San Francisco on a November morning in 2000, Izzy was brilliant and curious from the very start. By age five, they were already reading voraciously and could name every dinosaur that ever walked the earth. After a couple of years in Pittsburg, the Penston family settled in Alameda in 2003 — the place Izzy would call home for the rest of their life.
While in preschool, early signs began to appear. Coordination challenges, balance issues, and a heart condition were pieces of a puzzle that finally came together around age nine with a diagnosis of Friedreich’s Ataxia — a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease that would shape Izzy’s journey but never define who they were.
“I can’t even dance but I’m in charge of the dances.”
— Izzy, on being appointed dance organizer after losing the class president race
School was where Izzy’s personality came alive. They attended Edison, Lincoln, and ACLC, leaving an impression everywhere they went. Theater became a big part of their world — Izzy brought characters like Maleficent and Jafar to life on stage, always gravitating toward the roles with the most personality. As an animal lover, they found joy in volunteering at the local shelter, caring for cats and bunnies.
Their creative energy extended well beyond performance. Izzy wrote for the audio drama podcast Twelve Chimes It’s Midnight (opens in new tab) and served as writer and creative director for Interfectorem (opens in new tab), a video game that won the grand prize at Girls Make Games National Demo Day in 2015. As a GMG alum and ambassador, they were invited to speak at the White House the following year. They also loved playing Dungeons & Dragons, cosplaying at anime conventions, and — in 2019 — being matched with Maeve, their Canine Companions service dog and the love of their life.
The transition to adulthood brought obstacles, but Izzy’s positive attitude never wavered. When the challenges of living independently with a disability — compounded by COVID shutdowns — shifted their plans, they pivoted from film at SJSU to anthropology at College of Alameda, earning their associate’s degree in 2025. An avid reader, Izzy loved horror — especially Stephen King. In later years, they discovered a passion for rockhounding, always chasing the perfect smooth, shiny stone, and embraced the simpler things: a warm bath, candles, chocolate cake, Coca-Cola, and trips to Disneyland.
“Twenty-five years was not enough, but Izzy made the most of every one of them.”
FA took away their ability to walk, type, talk, and see — yet they never gave up, facing each new challenge with humor and a “why not?” mindset. Izzy lives on in memory, and leaves a lasting gift to the FA community through the donation of their brain and heart to research. They always had big dreams, and while they never made it to Harvard, their heart did — a fact they would have found endlessly amusing.