The family of a man killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting traveled from Puerto Rico to Tampa to accept his posthumous college degree on Tuesday.

Martin Torres, 33, was one of the 49 victims killed in the June 12, 2016, shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

  • Martin Torres' family traveled from Puerto Rico to Tampa
  • Family accepted Torres' degree from Ana G. Mendez University in Tampa
  • Torres was one of 49 killed in the June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub shooting

Torres was a first-year student studying to be a pharmacy technician.

"Martin was our student," said Jose Diaz, the outreach director at Ana G. Mendez. "It was hard, and it was really sad because, as you see, we're a small campus."

Faculty, staff and many of the 78 students in Torres' graduating class were heartbroken by the news of his death.

"The security guard was his friend, the receptionist was his friend, the librarian was his friend," Diaz said. "So, he knows most of the people on campus and they were very affected because that was a situation that no one expected."

Last week, the school held a memorial ceremony for Martin. His classmates all signed a banner to give to his family.