It’s with great sadness that we share the news that Laura Santamaria passed away on Saturday 17 May 2025, after a short illness.
From the day the hub opened, Laura was a fundamental part of our Jigsaw community in Melbourne. She inspired people with her passion and dedication, and everyone described her as a friend. She is loved, missed and remembered by everyone at Jigsaw: her impact lasting, and her presence irreplaceable.
Her personal and professional highlights at Jigsaw started with her rapid progression through core work skills training, including a work experience placement at information management solutions company “Compu-stor.” She was promoted into a paid traineeship, working first on digitisation contracts (and featuring in a video created by client Yarra Libraries), and then contracts across multiple departments with Allianz Insurance.
In 2022, she met then DSS Minister Amanda Rishworth and took her on a tour of the Jigsaw Melbourne hub, gently advocating for people with disability in employment. In 2024, she transitioned from Jigsaw to become an Allianz employee, in their Dispute Resolution team.
Alongside her considerable achievements, we remember and celebrate Laura for the person she was – the person who made such an impression on everyone lucky enough to know her.
We remember Laura for her understated and unwavering optimism. She took advantage of every opportunity available to her, with a quiet determination to succeed. Her work ethic and resilience ensured her optimism was grounded: where Laura faced barriers, she worked harder to overcome them.
We remember Laura for her humility. Always appreciative and quick to credit the role of others in her success, whilst often downplaying her own formidable strengths.
Most importantly, we remember and celebrate Laura for her kindness towards others. She cared deeply about everyone around her, made lasting friendships, and her welcoming nature helped everyone feel at home. She has always been generous in sharing her story, motivated by its potential to raise awareness and break down barriers for other people with disability following in her footsteps and pursuing their employment dreams.
Just two months before her death, Laura celebrated a full year of employment with Allianz Insurance. She reflected:
“It’s definitely been hard work getting to where I am today. It wasn’t easy and it never will be for people with disabilities. I am grateful for the support I have had with the team & with Allianz. I am super grateful that I am able to be that role model to those who are still on their way to finding out their journey.”
Rest in peace, Laura. Everyone at Jigsaw and Allianz misses you terribly and will feel your loss for a very long time. You will always be a role model, and your impact and influence on others will endure long into the future.