What starts here encourages students to make a difference in the lives of others. At The University of Texas at Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work, students learn to tackle some of society’s greatest challenges and opportunities. A portion of Steve Hicks’ world-changing $25 million gift — among the largest in the nation to a public university’s social work school — gives Texas’ future social workers the freedom to pursue their passion for helping communities with less concern about student debt.

“Being a Steve Hicks Scholar sealed the deal on why I needed to be at UT,” says Jaria Martin, a dual degree MSSW/J.D. student whose goal is to be a family court judge. “This opportunity really allowed me to not take on so much of a financial burden coming here and solely focus on my studies.”

“Donors who decide to support emerging social workers make a huge difference,” says Hannah Rakestraw, another Steve Hicks Scholar. “By allowing those with that training to actually enter and stay in the field of social work, they’re helping students help others.”

The generosity of donors like Steve Hicks supports not just students, but the Texans who will benefit from their educations for generations to come.

This video is part of World-Changing Gifts, a series highlighting the impact of transformational investments made during UT’s What Starts Here fundraising campaign.