Savitha Chan posthumously earned two degrees from the University of Texas two months after she was killed in a mass shooting.
Savitha Chan, 21, of Indian descent, was going to graduate by May, but her life ended in a mass shooting on March 1. Her parents Shan Muthian and Sylvie Shan refuse to continue grieving and have announced a scholarship fund for Savitha Shanmugasundaram.
Her parents want to raise $500,000 by calling on donors to support underprivileged students. The University of Texas has promised that it will match dollar for dollar and will double the endowment to $1 million to honor Savitha’s legacy. The donation page said that the names of donors will be shared with the family unless they request anonymity.With the exception of UT, several companies have committed to matching employee donations with the Savitha Shan Endowed Scholarship, meaning they will match the amount any of their employees donate to the fund, its memorial website said.
The website listed Visa, PwC and Apple as interested companies.Her father said that donors may not get any tangible benefit but that is what will make Savitha happy, as she always wanted to help others. Her parents said they turned their grief into an opportunity for others.The fund will exist as long as the university exists. The benefit of the $1,000,000 endowment alone will fund 10 students each year.
Savitha Shan Women Empowerment Award
Aside from the scholarship, the Chan family has committed to sponsoring the Savitha Chan Women’s Empowerment Award through the Indian Student Association at the University of Texas at Austin over the next decade.
The first award was presented on April 25, 2026 to Pragnya Vela, a student at the University of Texas at Austin.
Who was Savitha Shan? ?
Born in Austin, Savitha graduated from high school from the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy (LASA). She found out about the four-year Taco Bell Live Más scholarship at UT and earned it herself. After graduating, she wanted to start her career with a position at Visa. An avid traveler, Savitha aimed to visit 21 countries by the age of 21, completing 26 countries and 36 US states.
Her parents remember her as a happy child who touched the lives of so many that they did not expect the community’s reaction after her death.On the evening of February 28, 2026, Savitha coordinated guests’ transportation and accommodations for a Raas Rodeo dance event that she helped organize. After seeing all the guests leaving safely, she texted her mother: “Leaving now.” She never came home. On March 1, 2026, Savitha lost her life in a mass shooting on Sixth Street in downtown Austin – a terrorism-related incident.
Savitha’s parents received her dual degree posthumously
On May 7, 2026, Savitha’s parents received her dual degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the McCombs School of Business.
