Oct 11 Patricia Velez

Today, October 11th, is the birthday of Dr. Patricia Navarro Velez. A dedicated professor of accounting and information systems at UNLV, she died at 39 in the 2023 campus shooting. Kind and loving, she was a devoted wife, mom to 4 beautiful children, and “framily” to so many more. Full of joy and life, she loved to cook, to bring people together, and to organize gatherings, large and small.
A proud Puerto Rican, Patricia excelled on every path she pursued. She left a prestigious international accounting firm to pursue her dream of obtaining a PhD teaching and mentoring students at the university level. Her graduate assistant called her “larger than life,” and students and colleagues alike recalled her passion, approachability, and infectious smile.
The shooter was angry, paranoid, and unable to maintain a university teaching job. He applied to UNLV in 2020 but was not hired. Former students recalled his fixation on “Rate My Professor” reviews. His online activity included frequent engagement with and promoting of conspiracy theories. He killed 3 UNLV professors, seriously injured a visiting professor and injured 2 responding police officers before dying in the shootout.
#HonorWithAction
#sensiblegunlaws