Natasha Gunasekara, a third-year student at Notre Dame Law School, has been awarded a real estate scholarship from the Goldie Initiative Scholarship Program.
Founded by Goldie B. Wolfe Miller, an accomplished commercial real estate broker and entrepreneur, the Goldie Initiative is a prestigious leadership program with a mission to develop the next generation of women executives in the commercial real estate industry. The program provides scholarship support for graduate study, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women with high potential who aspire to become leaders in the real estate industry.
“I was greatly inspired by the story of Goldie B. Wolfe Miller paving her own path to success in commercial real estate. The Goldie Initiative’s focus on ‘elevating extraordinary women leaders’ will provide me with great mentorship and training, which is so important to me as a minority woman preparing to practice real estate law. I am honored to have the opportunity to learn from women leaders in this dynamic field,” said Gunasekara.
Gunasekara’s interest in real estate law began with her first year course in property law, and subsequently through the Law School’s Program of Study in Real Estate Law.
“Real estate is a very tangible practice area in terms of being able to see the buildings that are developed and the changes within the skyline of any given city,” said Gunasekara. “It’s exciting being able to impact the physical and economic development of the places in which we live.”
Gunasekara was introduced to the Goldie Initiative’s Scholar Program by Eugenio Acosta, program director for the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Natasha Gunasekara has earned a Goldie Initiative scholarship,” said Daniel Kelly, professor of law and faculty director of the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate. “Natasha is an excellent student and a born leader. As a first-year law student, Natasha took the initiative and established the Notre Dame Real Estate Law Society, which, as the result of her leadership as its founder and president, already has over 100 student members. She is a rising star in commercial real estate and real estate law.”
In addition to being founder and president of the Notre Dame Real Estate Law Society, Gunasekara is the alumni editor for the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, is a teaching assistant for the class Property and Tort Law, and is an ambassador for the Office of Admissions. This summer she was a summer associate at Sidley Austin in Los Angeles.
Originally published by at law.nd.edu on August 13, 2020.