Houston, April 8 The family of a 21-year-old Indian-origin student, who was killed in a shooting in Austin last month, has launched a one-million-dollar endowed scholarship to honor her memory.
Savitha Shanmugasundaram, a student at the University of Texas, was among those killed in the tragic shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin on March 1. She was a high-achieving senior at the McCombs School of Business.
The Savitha Shanmugasundaram Memorial Endowed Scholarship is specifically designed to support students from Title I schools, which serve a high concentration of low-income families.
Her family and the Texas Indian Students Association aim to raise USD 500,000, which will be matched one-to-one by the University of Texas under the Texas Challenge program.
Once fully funded, the endowment is expected to provide financial aid to nearly 10 students annually in perpetuity.
An Austin native and the only child of her parents, Savitha was just months away from graduating with a dual degree in Management Information Systems and Economics.
She was a prominent leader in the Indian American student community and served on the executive board of the Texas Indian Students Association.
Her father, Shan Muthian, noted that creating the scholarship fulfills Savitha's lifelong dream of serving underprivileged students and ensures her legacy remains alive.
The shooting, which claimed four lives and injured 14 others, sent shockwaves through the university and the broader Indian diaspora.
University officials described Savitha as a compassionate leader who was deeply committed to expanding educational access.
