What started as a friendship between four University seniors is becoming an investment in future Gies College of Business students.
The group — Christine Leung, Lalit Gurrapu, Dhwani Patel and Owen Krajecki, all seniors in the college — is launching a student-led fundraising initiative to establish a $25,000 need-based scholarship for an incoming Gies student.
The effort, which will officially debut Feb. 11 at Winterfest, is entirely organized and driven by students, encapsulated in their first core value, “by students, for students.”
For the group, the initiative is both personal and communal.
Gurrapu said the relationships he formed and the opportunities he found within the college defined his experience at the University.
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“It’s because of Christine, Owen and Dhwani that my experience at this school has been so memorable,” Gurrapu said. “We’ve come to this conclusion where we’ve been affected so positively through the programs within Gies … that we wanted to culminate our experience here at UIUC with a way to give back and bring community together.”
Rather than pursuing individual projects, the four friends built the initiative together. Krajecki said collaboration was central to the group’s vision, with no hierarchical roles guiding their work.
“The way we tried to attack this was a very unified approach,” Krajecki said. “We want this to be representative of the senior body.”
As the group discussed how they wanted to give back, they considered several ideas for a senior gift before landing on a scholarship as the most lasting way to make an impact. The friends said a need-based scholarship aligns with their shared belief that financial barriers should not limit access to education.
The group is now fundraising toward a $25,000 goal, with support from alumni who have committed to matching donations on the way to $25,000.
As planning progressed, the friends began thinking beyond a single fundraising goal and toward the broader meaning of their effort. What started as a way to give back quickly became a conversation about what it means to leave something behind after four years.
That mindset ultimately led to their second core value, “leaving a class of 2026 legacy.”
“We want this (scholarship) to be something that continues year after year,” Leung said. “We think it would be the coolest thing if we start a precedent of senior classes giving back. We’ve started pulling in underclassmen because we think that this is an initiative that should keep going.”
The friends have also worked closely with the college’s administrators to navigate the logistics of launching a scholarship tied directly to the college. While the project remains student-led, the group collaborated with advancement staff to ensure the scholarship could be a successful endeavor.
Rebecca Pagels, associate dean for advancement and chief advancement officer for the college, has worked directly with the group. She said the effort stands out not only for its scale but for who is leading it.
“It is not typical for students to want to raise money directly to the college to have impact on future generations,” Pagels said. “I have been (working at the University) a long time. I think this is the first time that students have stepped forward and said they want to do this in my career.”
Beyond the scholarship amount, the initiative represents the idea that students themselves can shape the culture of giving, build community and create opportunities for future students.
Patel emphasized that even small contributions matter.
“Even if that is a dollar that you can spare to be a part of this initiative, we want to see as many students as possible really contribute to this cause as a way to give back to a (future student),” Patel said.
Through this effort, the friends hope to leave a legacy that extends far beyond their own graduation. By combining friendship and a desire to make higher education more accessible, they aim to show that change can start with a small group of dedicated students.
