Susan Velasco
By Shauna Mecartea
Daily Bruin Reporter
To recognize the loss of former student Susan Velasco, the
university flag is lowered half-mast Friday in front of Pauley
Pavilion.
Velasco, 19, was riding in the passenger seat of a car on
Interstate-5 when she unbuckled her seat belt to grab her camera.
Right then the car spun out of control, flew off an embankment and
flipped over.
She died of severe head injuries at University Medical Center in
Fresno on April 13.
Velasco, a first-year Spanish student, was the first to attend
college in her family and planned to become a college-level Spanish
teacher and eventually a dean at a university.
“Ever since kindergarten she strove to be the best and set
an example for others to do so as well,” said Lupe Velasco,
Susan Velasco’s mother, through a translator.
Known as an outgoing and ambitious young woman, Velasco touched
many and accomplished a lot in her life.
“She was a good daughter and friendly toward all
people,” her mother said. “She always sought to be the
most outstanding person possible; she always wanted to be ahead of
her competition.”
Velasco grew up in Los Angeles with her mother and extended
family after Velasco’s father left them when she was a
child.
Her mother encouraged Velasco and her younger brothers to excel
in school so that they would have access to the opportunities she
never had.
“She set a good example for her younger brothers and
encouraged them to study and strive for the best things in
life,” Lupe Velasco said.
Some of Velasco’s goals were to emphasize the importance
of children’s education and correct inequity in the workplace
by seeing that equal pay is given for equal work.
She tutored elementary school children through the Jump Start
program and was also involved in the Program Leading to
Undergraduate Success, which is part of the Academic Advancement
Program on campus.
Two hundred freshmen students are selected to partake in PLUS.
To be eligible for the program the student must be a
first-generation college student and from a low-income family.
“She had a lot of energy ““ very innovative and
creative,” said Masai Minters, director of counseling at
AAP.
Minters worked closely with Velasco during the Freshman Summer
Program, which works to house incoming freshmen in the dorms for
six weeks to familiarize them with the university’s
curriculum and counselors.
Minters said even though Velasco was only a freshman with two
quarters under her belt, she was well-known and liked in the AAP
office because of her charisma.
“She was really feisty. She always spoke her mind,”
said Lauren Reneau, an undeclared first-year student and one of the
three girls involved in the car accident.
Reneau was Velasco’s roommate in Sproul Hall as well as
her Alpha Phi sorority sister.
Julia Heiser, a first-year student, was the third passenger in
the car.
After the accident, all three girls were transported to the
hospital. Heiser and Reneau suffered moderate injuries.
The families of all the girls met each other for the first time
at the site of the crash, as the sun was rising behind the smashed
vehicle.
“It was really touching,” said Reneau’s
mother.
Reneau reminded herself and others after this tragic accident
that nobody knows what could happen next week, let alone
tomorrow.
Velasco’s mother is thankful for the support she has
received from family, friends and the university.
The Velascos, a Catholic family, said the rosary together for
nine consecutive days following Velasco’s funeral.
The ceremony helped to ease the family’s pain and allowed
for familial bonding, Reneau said.
“I admire the sympathy that some students have
demonstrated towards her and our family,” said
Velasco’s mother. “I’m happy and thankful that
her fellow students and professors have been on our side; they make
me feel like I’m not alone in this.”
Donations or help of any kind can be sent to Lupe Velasco c/o
Lauren Reneau P. O. Box 2127 Capistrano Beach, CA. 92624. With
reports from Cuauhtemoc Ortega, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.