A senior aerospace engineering major, Waylon Lee ’20 readily acknowledges that Texas A&M and the Steudtners’ scholarship opened up a world of possibilities, including becoming an intern at NASA.
The Plano couple committed to creating their first endowed engineering scholarship of $70,000 in 2017. Making an initial gift of $5,000, the Steudtners pledged to fulfill their portion of the gift over a five-year period by utilizing the matching programs at their respective employers, PepsiCo and Texas Instruments, which both provide a one-for-one match of their annual gift. The Steudtners’ scholarship was awarded to an undergraduate engineering student immediately during the 2017-2018 academic year.
“It’s really cool that the Foundation and our companies have provided us with an avenue to renew our passion for Texas A&M,” Todd said. “We’re thrilled to support what we’re passionate about and utilize our matching funds so we can maximize as much as we can.”
The couple found the process so affordable and effortless that they committed to creating a second endowed scholarship of $50,000 in 2018. This gift, which again uses their employers’ matching programs, supports undergraduate students seeking a degree in information and operations management in Mays Business School.
Thanks to their scholarships, students like Waylon Lee ’20 and Megan Chumchal ’21 are being given the opportunity to write their Aggie journey.
Doors of Opportunity
Megan Chumchal ’21, a senior management information systems major, echoes Lee’s gratitude and is grateful for the opportunities her scholarship has provided her.
A senior aerospace engineering major, Lee readily acknowledges that Texas A&M and the Steudtners’ scholarship opened up a world of possibilities, including becoming an intern at NASA and eventually getting a full-time job offer at the Johnson Space Center. “I chose Texas A&M for the highly established engineering program,” Lee said. “Never would I have dreamed of the possibilities it would open for me.”
Without having to worry about a job to offset the financial burden of school, Lee had the time to pursue a lifelong dream: getting his pilot’s license. He credits these opportunities to the Steudtners’ generosity.
Chumchal, a senior management information systems major, echoes Lee’s gratitude and is grateful for the opportunities her scholarship has provided her. Her time at Texas A&M has been pivotal in her life, allowing her to grow not only academically but also as a person. Upon graduating, she will work full-time as a junior business analyst with Hartigen Solutions.
“This job offer is one of the many testaments to the ways this scholarship has and will continue to impact my life,” Chumchal said. “Thanks to the Steudtners, I was able to make my dreams a reality.”
To learn more about matching gift opportunities, contact Jesse Natal, matching gift coordinator, at (979) 845-8162 or by submitting a message using the form below.
