Beginning next school year, a UT education will be made possible for a bright, young student from the Rio Grande Valley due to the ambitious efforts of Carlos Zaffirini Jr., BBA ’03, JD ’06, Life Member. Carlos Jr., founder of Adelanto HealthCare Ventures, has donated an additional $25,000 to complete funding for the $50,000 endowment he pledged in honor of his mother’s commitment to higher education in 2012. Senator Judith Zaffirini , BS ’67, MA ’70, PhD ’78, Life Member, Distinguished Alumna, championed higher education during her time as the chair of the Texas Senate’s Higher Education Committee and overcame adversities while pursuing her own education at UT. Despite maintaining a 3.9 GPA, Judith considered dropping out due to financial strains. She hopes to prevent other hopeful students from experiencing the same problem. “This scholarship was created to honor my mom and her dedication to students that don’t have the resources to attend college,” Carlos said. During the endowment ceremony in 2012, Judith said she was both impressed and grateful. Carlos has since given her another reason to be proud. Funding for the Senator Judith Zaffirini Scholarship Fund has been fulfilled two years early, as it was originally slated for 2016, with the scholarship's inaugural recipient to be announced next year. Photo by Matt Valentine.