We are thankful for those who have made a planned gift to the University of Pittsburgh. Here are their impact stories.
Ten years ago, Rodney Lavodrama (ENGR ’26) was just learning to speak English. Today, as he sits in his Pitt dorm room, he dreams of becoming the next Bill Gates.
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After being married for less than a month, Regina (KGSB ’81) and Dennis (KGSB ’78) Stover decided the best path for Dennis’ career was to earn an MBA.
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Kirstyn Parker (KGSB ’24, SPH ’24G) wants more than success in a field where few Black women have tread—she also wants to make sure others follow in her path.
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As a renal fellow at UPMC in the early 1980s, Beth Piraino (A&S ’70, MED ’77) watched the disruption outpatient dialysis caused in her patients’ lives and wondered why more of them did not opt for in-home treatment.
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When Nikolas Schunn (ENGR ’23) talks about his future, he imagines solving a problem that space exploration companies are spending millions of dollars on every day—how to improve rocket engines to the point that humanity can make its next great leap in space.
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While most of us try to avoid bacteria in our everyday lives, Matthew Benczkowski (A&S ’19) seeks them out and cultivates them. It’s his way of combating deadly illnesses. And thanks to generous donor support, Matthew could further his studies without worrying about student loan debt.
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The love Roger (CBA ’60) and Lee Glunt share for each other is rivaled only by the love they share for Pitt. The University is not only a big part of the Glunts’ enriching volunteer lives, but also a big part of their philanthropic efforts. The couple made their first financial gift to Pitt in the 1970s.
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In her own words, Hanna Ebel (SHRS ’20) “had a bit of a freak out” over the size of the student loans she thought she was going to have to incur to pay for her University of Pittsburgh education. But her fears were allayed when she received generous scholarship support.
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Tony Fountain (A&S ’70, CGS ’77) has been active on Pitt’s campus from his first day as a freshman in 1966. As a student, he helped form the Black Action Society, as an alumnus he was president of the Pitt African American Alumni Council, and he has been a big supporter of students and teachers.
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For Kareem Rabbat (ENG ’20), “sustainability” and “equality” are more than just buzz words, they are his passion. Thanks to generous donors, he gained hands-on experience applying knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world solutions.
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Peter Koehler came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1986 as Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Dean of the University of Pittsburgh Faculty of Arts and Sciences. After serving as dean for 12 years, he devoted himself full-time to teaching undergraduate students until he retired in 2017.
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Juan Cervantes Reyes (PHARM ’20) has often been the “first” in his family. He was the first to be born in the U.S., the first to graduate high school, and the first to earn a PhD. He says that without the help of generous donors, he would have never been able to pursue his educational dreams.
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Richard (A&S ’64, EDUC ’66G, ’70 PhD) and Renee (A&S ’63, EDUC ’65G) Goldman credit their successful careers to hard work and the education they received from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.
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Natalie Steibel (ENGR ’22) fell in love with science at an early age and realized solving problems through engineering was her passion. She knew Pitt was where she wanted to study and scholarship support is what turned her goal into reality.
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Willard Hoel (CBA ’60) has been a part of the University of Pittsburgh in one way or another since he came into this world. His father earned a pharmacy degree from Pitt in 1930 and encouraged his son to attend the University. After graduation, Hoel remained connected to Pitt by volunteering his time and making financial gifts.
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Kumar Vijayendra (KATZ ’20) says he was “sitting in a far corner of the world just having a dream” about earning an MBA from a prestigious university in the U.S. That is until Pitt offered him a scholarship. Now he has realized that dream.
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Dr. Richard Dum and Dr. Donna Hoffman are quick to acknowledge they’ve led good lives with successful careers. The couple studied hard and worked even harder, making breakthrough discoveries along the way about how the brain functions. Now, this husband and wife are paying it forward to the next generation of scientists with an endowed scholarship.
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