About

Our dear sister, daughter, friend, classmate, and colleague Luisa Velasquez left us on October 21, 2013, after battling stomach cancer with extraordinary courage and grace. While this is an incredible loss, Luisa’s exemplary qualities and strong spirit remain forever etched in our hearts.

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University is partnering with alumni, friends, and colleagues at General Electric (GE), fellow Johnson alumni of the Class of 2012, family members, and other alumni, friends, and associates of Luisa to establish a dedicated scholarship fund—the Luisa M. Velasquez Memorial Scholarship—to honor her memory and the impact that she had on so many people.

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The original goal was to raise a minimum amount of $100,000 to fund the endowed scholarship in Luisa’s name. The endowment will continue to grow over time, and once the minimum commitment amount is met or exceeded, qualified scholarship recipients will be selected annually. All gifts are appreciated and will help. Those willing and capable of making leadership gifts ($5,000 or more) can fulfill their commitments over a one to five year period. In March 2016, we achieved the goal of raising $100,000 and the scholarship was officially endowed.

Luisa was passionate about strengthening women in leadership, diversity & inclusion, and community involvement. This was evident in her deep involvement in a number of different organizations; Luisa was a Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) MBA Prep Fellow, Consortium Member, Forte Fellow, National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA) Scholar, and an incredible role model. She also helped to create opportunities for women as part of the Women's Initiative Leading Lehman, Lehman's Latin American Council, and most recently as the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP) Diversity Recruiting Leader at GE.

There is an opportunity to encourage growth in the areas that Luisa was so passionate about through supporting and recognizing future Johnson students who demonstrate commitment to these endeavors. At the same time, this opportunity allows us to celebrate Luisa’s life.

We know that Luisa would be grateful for the opportunity to support future Johnson students who will in turn make their own contributions toward leadership, diversity, and community. We hope that you will join us in honoring Luisa in a way that would be so gratifying to her.